People smuggling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

People smuggling is a term which is used to describe transportation of people across international borders to a non-official entry point of a destination country for financial gain. Typically those being transported may not have adequate formal travel documents or prior approval to enter the destination country.

Above: Over a thousand men, smuggled into Oman, return to Pakistan by boat after they were arrested and imprisoned. Thousands of South Asians are smuggled into the Middle East; but they are arrested and deported back each year - Pic by Ansar Burney Trust

People smugglers are sometimes used by refugees fleeing persecution. However, a majority are people who are seeking better employment. Interpol, in a recent communication, described people smuggling as follows:

People smuggling has become the preferred trade of a growing number of criminal networks world-wide which are showing an increasing sophistication in regard to move larger numbers of people at higher profits than ever.

In the Southwest United States, a "coyote" is a person paid to smuggle illegal immigrants across the border between Mexico and the United States. Snakeheads are smugglers from China who smuggle people into the United States and other Western countries.

Human trafficking differs from people smuggling. A people smuggler will facilitate illegal entry into a country for a fee, but on arrival at their destination, the smuggled person is usually free. Trafficking involves a process of using physical force, fraud or deception to obtain and transport people. Women, who form the majority of trafficking victims, are particularly at risk from criminals who exploit lack of opportunities, promise good jobs or opportunities for study, and then force the victims to be prostitutes. To many, the contemporary phenomenon of trafficking in human beings is equivalent to slavery.