Migrant Smuggling 
 
 Smuggling of Migrants is a crime involving the procurement for financial or other material benefit of illegal entry of a person into a State of which that person is not a national or resident. Migrant smuggling affects almost every country in the world. It undermines the integrity of countries and communities, and costs thousands of people their lives every year. UNODC, as the guardian the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Organized Crime Convention) and the Protocols thereto, assists States in their efforts to implement the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air (Smuggling of Migrants Protocol). 
 
 What is Migrant Smuggling? 
 
 UNODC Response to Migrant Smuggling 
 
 Migrant Smuggling FAQs 
 
 Further Information 
 
 What is Migrant Smuggling? 
 
 The Smuggling of Migrants Protocol supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime defines the smuggling of migrants as the 
 
 "procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident." (Article 3, Smuggling of Migrants Protocol). 
 
 In order to comply with the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol, Article 6 requires states to criminalize both smuggling of migrants and enabling of a person to remain in a country illegally, as well as aggravating circumstances that endanger lives or safety, or entail inhuman or degrading treatment of migrants. 
 
 Virtually every country in the world is affected by this crime, whether as an origin, transit or destination country for smuggled migrants by profit-seeking criminals. Smuggled migrants are vulnerable to life-threatening risks and exploitation; thousands of people have suffocated in containers, perished in deserts or dehydrated at sea. Generating huge profits for the criminals involved, migrant smuggling fuels corruption and empowers organized crime. Learn more about the crime of migrant smuggling here . 
 
 Migrant Smuggling - a deadly business 
 
 Currently, data is too scattered and incomplete to paint an accurate picture of numbers of people who are smuggled each year and the routes and methods used by those who smuggle them. Still, available evidence reveals the following trends and patterns: 
 
 Criminals are increasingly providing smuggling services to irregular migrants to evade national border controls, migration regulations and visa requirements. Most irregular migrants resort to the assistance of profit-seeking smugglers. As border controls have improved, migrants are deterred from attempting to illegally cross them themselves and are diverted into the hands of smugglers. 
 
 Migrant smuggling is a highly profitable business in which criminals enjoy low risk of detection and punishment. As a result, the crime is becoming increasingly attractive to criminals. Migrant smugglers are becoming more and more organized, establishing professional networks that transcend borders and regions. 
 
 The modus operandi of migrant smugglers is diverse. Highly sophisticated and expensive services rely on document fraud or 'visa-smuggling'. Contrasted with these are low cost methods which often pose high risks for migrants, and have lead to a dramatic increase in loss of life in recent years. 
 
 Migrant smugglers constantly change routes and modus operandi in response to changed circumstances often at the expense of the safety of the smuggled migrants. 
 
 Thousands of people have lost their lives as a result of the indifferent or even deliberate actions of migrant smugglers. 
 
 These factors highlight the need for responses to combat the crime of migrant smuggling to be coordinated across and between regions, and adaptable to new methods. In this regard, UNODC seeks to assist countries in implementing the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol while promoting a comprehesensive response to the issue of migrant smuggling. 
 
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 UNODC's Response to Migrant Smuggling 
 
 As the guardian of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary protocols, UNODC's primary goal with respect to combating migrant smuggling, is to promote global adherence to the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol and assist States in their efforts to effectively implement it. The Smuggling of Migrants Protocol aims to: 
 
 Prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants 
 
 Protect the rights of smuggled migrants 
 
 Promote cooperation between states 
 
 In providing technical assistance towards achieving these goals globally, UNODC's response is focused on two working areas: 
 
 Assisting states in bringing their legislation in line with the Protocol, and 
 
 Assisting states in developing an effective criminal justice response to migrant smuggling 
 
 The Model Law against the Smuggling of Migrants was developed by UNODC in response to a request by the General Assembly to the Secretary-General to promote and assist the efforts of States to become party to and implement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto. It was developed in particular to assist States in implementing the provisions contained in the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. The content of the Model Law was drafted through a comprehensive, collaborative effort conducted through two Expert Group Meetings and reviewed by an expert group of judges and prosecutors. It is currently available in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish. 
 
 UNODC in cooperation with Interpol and Europol and with funding received from the European Union, has elaborated basic training modules on preventing and combating migrant smuggling. It has done this through a series of expert group meetings (EGMs) of law enforcers and prosecutors from around the world. The first Expert Group Meeting was held in 30th November to 2nd December 2008 in Saly, Senegal, the second EGM from 23rd to 25th March in Cairo, Egypt and the third EGM was held from 22nd to 24th June in Abuja, Nigeria. 
 
 A Toolkit to Combat Smuggling of Migrants has been designed to assist countries to implement the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol. Specifically, the Toolkit is intended to provide guidance, showcase promising practices and recommend resources in thematic areas addressed in the separate tools.The promising practices and recommended resources included in this Toolkit by no means comprise an exhaustive collection of successful, creative and innovative response to addressing migrant smuggling. However, in light of the urgent need for cooperative response to the phenomenon, examples have been included with the intention both of commending such initiatives and of demonstrating the range of resources available to assist users in undertaking the anti-smuggling efforts that may feature in the next edition of this Toolkit. 
 
 UNODC is supporting States in West and North Africa in implementing the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol and strengthening their criminal justice systems, through its Impact Programme. 
 
 UNODC holds Training Workshops for Prosecutors on Investigating and Prosecuting Migrant Smuggling One example is the training workshop for 25 Egyptian prosecutors on the investigation and prosecution of migrant cases held by the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa in Cairo, Egypt during the period 24 to 26 May 2011. 
 
 UNODC is currently developing and implementing a number of new projects to assess and counter the various threats posed by human smuggling. To do so effectively, and to learn from already existing research on migrant smuggling for current and future programme design, it is imperative to gain an overview of the current state of knowledge on the subject by consolidating the existing literature on the subject in one comprehensive and informative background document. This has been done through The Global Review and Annotated Bibliography of Recent Publications on Smuggling of Migrants (Global Review). 
 
 The publication Smuggling of migrants into, through and from North Africa: A thematic review and annotated bibliography of recent publications is the second in a series of unique publications produced by UNODC. Recognizing, however, that irregular migration and smuggling flows are transnational in nature, the review goes beyond North Africa, to also cover sub- Saharan African and European countries affected along the various smuggling routes. The aim of the review is twofold: to describe major findings on smuggling of migrants; into, through and from North Africa, and to highlight the need for further research on specific issues that have not yet been studied. 
 
 A 2011 report investigates the the involvement of organized criminal groups in the smuggling of migrants from West Africa towards the European Union (EU). Information in the report was compiled by a team of researchers from West Africa and Europe using both documentary studies and field research conducted in Mali, the Niger, Nigeria and Spain. Read more here 
 
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 Further information 
 
 For a full listing of latest tools and publications, visit our Publications page 
 
 To learn about Human Trafficking, click here 
 
 Learn more about UNODC Partnership Opportunities 
 
 For more information about the Global Programme against Trafficking in Persons and the Global Programme against Smuggling of Migrants, contact us. 
 
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 people smuggling human smuggling ||||| A group of migrants traveling from Niger into Algeria were found dead Sunday, abandoned by the smugglers who were leading them, the Niger Ministry of Interior said in a statement. 
 
 The migrants are presumed to have died from extreme thirst, as is common in the scorching temperatures of the landlocked desert environment. 
 
 Niger is a hub for migrants crossing from West Africa into Europe, with more than 60,000 passing through the Agadez region of the desert between February and April alone, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) called the Displacement Tracking Matrix. 
 
 Of the 34 migrants, all were from Niger or Nigeria. "They were five men, nine women, and twenty minors," Linda Cottone of IOM told ABC News. This is somewhat unusual, as the majority of migrants passing through Niger are men between the ages of 18 and 59, according to a study by the IOM. In fact, the average proportion of minors passing through Arlit, a town in the Agadez region where the migrants were found, is less than 10 percent, according to the study. 
 
 Getty Images 
 
 Migrants come through Niger on the way to Algeria from several other areas in Africa -- most often from Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau, according to IOM. 
 
 Migrants Traveling Towards Algeria 
 
 "Thousands of people have lost their lives as a result of the indifferent or even deliberate actions of migrant smugglers," according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Nonetheless, "As border controls have improved, migrants are deterred from attempting to illegally cross them themselves and are diverted into the hands of smugglers." ||||| Five men, nine women and 20 children abandoned by people smugglers die while trying to reach Algeria 
 
 The bodies of 34 migrants who were abandoned by people smugglers while trying to reach neighbouring Algeria were found in the Niger desert last week, authorities have said. 
 
 “Thirty-four people, including five men, nine women and 20 children, died trying to cross the desert,” Niger’s interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. 
 
 “They probably died of thirst, as is often the case, and they were found near Assamaka,” a security source said, referring to a border post between Niger and Algeria. 
 
 The migrants were abandoned by people smugglers, the statement added, and only two of the bodies had so far been identified – a man and a 26-year-old woman, both from Niger. 
 
 Temperatures in the region can reach 42C (108F), with blinding sandstorms tearing across the desert. The conditions mean that only a fraction of those who die trying to cross the area are ever found. 
 
 Thousands of children travelling alone from Africa to Europe, says Unicef Read more 
 
 Thousands of migrants have arrived in Algeria in recent years, mostly from neighbouring Mali and Niger. 
 
 Libya used to play host to the majority of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, but since that country descended into chaos following the death of Muammar Gaddafi, Algeria has become the main destination. 
 
 Many pass through Algeria as they head for Europe, but more than 7,000 migrants from Niger, mostly women and children, were returned to their home country in 2015 as part of an agreement between the two countries. 
 
 Europe has recently turned its attention to trying to curb the number of illegal arrivals from Africa, after a deal with Ankara in March cut the number of people trying to cross from Turkey. 
 
 More than 2,814 people have drowned trying to reach Europe since January, according to the UN refugee agency, prompting urgent efforts to tackle the problem. 
 
 A new proposal mooted last week involves using EU funds to promote private investment of up to €60bn in countries where many migrants come from – Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal, as well as Jordan and Lebanon. 
 
 The European commission also wants to speed up readmission deals with African countries and with Pakistan and Afghanistan, to make it easier to send back people who are not granted refugee status. 
 
 The commission is also set to unveil a plan for a “blue card” system for skilled migrants to come to Europe legally. 
 
 The aim is to reduce the incentive for people to risk their lives travelling to the continent on fragile boats. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The desert in northern Niger is a well used transit route for migrants 
 
 Niger says the bodies of 34 migrants, including 20 children, have been found in the Sahara Desert near the border with Algeria. 
 
 A government statement said they were found near the small desert town of Assamakka. 
 
 Interior Minister Bazoum Mohammed said it appeared they had died of thirst after being abandoned by their smuggler. 
 
 Niger lies on a major migrant route between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. 
 
 Mr Mohammed said nine of the adults were women and five were men. He said members of the group had died between 6 and 12 June. 
 
 Two victims have been identified as Nigerian but the nationalities of the others are not yet clear. 
 
 The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says about 120,000 people crossed through Niger's arid northern Agadez region last year. 
 
 Thousands of illegal migrants have travelled to Algeria in recent years, most of them via Mali and Niger. People smugglers have largely avoided Libya since it descended into political chaos.
– A group of nearly three dozen migrants, most of them kids, paid smugglers to whisk them out of Niger and Nigeria and to a new life to the north—but instead paid the ultimate price. The five men, nine women, and 20 minors were found dead Sunday in the Sahara, per Niger's Ministry of Interior, apparently ditched by those they'd hoped would save them and likely victims of extreme thirst, ABC News reports. The interior minister said the migrants had perished between June 6 and June 12 near Assamaka, per the BBC, with the Guardian noting that temps in the desert can soar upward of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. What transpired isn't an uncommon consequence: "Thousands of people have lost their lives as a result of the indifferent or even deliberate actions of migrant smugglers," the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says on its website, noting that as borders have become more tightly policed, migrants have become more wary of trying to cross over on their own. Which often leads to a "highly profitable" endeavor for the smugglers, who "enjoy low risk of detection and punishment," and tragedy for the smuggled, who may pay upward of $345 each for the chance to escape, per an International Organization for Migration report. The IOM notes that Niger is a waypoint for escapees on their way to Algeria and Libya (and Europe after that), with migrants usually hailing from Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau. What made this group of doomed deserters unusual: the number of children. Per the IOM report, a tracking tool showed that between February and April, the 60,000-plus migrants who passed through Niger were overwhelmingly male and between the ages of 18 and 59. (A drowned baby has become a "crushing symbol" of Europe's migrant crisis.)