People smuggling, also referred to as the smuggling of migrants, refers to the facilitated, illegal movement of people across borders.

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Across the world, countries are facing a growing scale and complexity of irregular migration challenges – in response to external pressures linked to humanitarian disasters, conflict and political instability, and economic inequality. People smugglers facilitate other people’s illegal entry into a foreign country by various methods, for example, by producing, procuring, providing, or possessing fraudulent travel or identity documents, bribing officials, and arranging transport to secretly cross an international border. Complex criminal networks take advantage of those seeking opportunities and a better life, charging high prices for dangerous and illegal journeys, with people who are extremely vulnerable to other forms of crime including trafficking in persons.

The Bali Process’ role in strengthening cooperation and dialogue across Members and Observers to tackle criminal activity and reach, uphold migrant rights, support registration and integration, and reduce people exploitation is more important than ever.

Countering People Smuggling

People smuggling occurs in all regions of the world. There are no reliable global statistics on the number of people smuggled due to major challenges such as the hidden nature of the problem and the lack of established data recording systems.

People smuggling is a highly profitable business and smugglers and criminal networks take advantage of those seeking to escape poverty, conflict, persecution and other natural and humanitarian disasters in search of opportunities and a better life—charging high prices for dangerous and illegal journeys, with people who are extremely vulnerable to other forms of crime including trafficking in persons.

Response is also hampered because it is often misidentified as a migration-related offence. People smuggling is often conflated with trafficking in persons, which is a distinct though sometimes related crime.

©Jo Aigner