The governance of migrant smuggling and human trafficking: institutions and networks

Migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings are two interrelated phenomena. While in theory they are clearly distinguishable – smuggling is consensual, as the migrant asks for an (illegal) service for which s/he pays, whereas trafficking involves deceit and exploitation, and consent is not relevant – in practice there is a very thin line separating them. Both trafficking and smuggling are addressed by international organisations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (given that a majority of asylum seekers are involved in the smuggling process and that many asylum seekers and refugees are victims of trafficking). Moreover, EU border agencies, such as Frontex, have become more active in the field not only of smuggling but also of trafficking. This chapter examines the role of transnational networks of mixed types of actors in the governance of migrant smuggling and human trafficking and discusses critically the ways in which they promote competing discourses and policies.