The perspective that we live in a connected world, with several asymmetries, brings up the discussion about international migration and, at this moment, the forms of forced migration and the resulting vulnerabilities, such as smuggling and human trafficking.
In this sense, migration is a complex global challenge. According to a 2020 report by the IOM (International Organization for Migration), it is estimated that about 272 million people are international migrants, which is equivalent to 3.5% of the world’s population. Globally, the estimated number of migrants has increased over the past five decades. This total is 119 million higher than the number in 1990 (153 million) and more than triple the number in 1970 (84 million).
conceptual differences
In a world in constant human movement, human trafficking and smuggling of immigrants becomes an issue to be fought. There are conceptual differences between migration, human smuggling and human trafficking, and understanding them is essential to see the different phenomena and create specific mechanisms to combat, prevent and assist victims.
Migration can be defined as a social phenomenon that occurs with the displacement of people, voluntarily and without the intermediation of third parties, from one place to another, either within national States or between States with the intention of staying there. Migration must be seen as a phenomenon to be respected and guaranteed, including internal policies for welcoming and assisting migrants.
Smuggling of people, on the other hand, is characterized when a person is consensually transported by third parties to another country, by illicit means, with the intention of obtaining, directly or indirectly, a financial benefit.
The use of the third party’s “service” is verified because that person cannot enter the country of destination by normal means because he is not a national or permanent resident and does not meet the necessary requirements to obtain the required visa. In smuggling, there is the consent given by the victim, who agrees with the third party, the transport to the desired destination.
This mode does not contain the element of coercion or deception. It is, therefore, considered a form of violation of immigration laws and presupposes the voluntary participation of migrants in the smuggling networks of people with the intention of irregularly entering another country.
According to the IOM, due to its irregular nature, there are no reliable global statistics on the number of migrants who are smuggled each year. On the other hand, data from the Federal Police in Brazil indicate that in 2021 alone, the smuggling of people may have moved R$ 8 billion and the average estimate is that to reach the United States, each migrant pays about R$ 112 thousand to the coyotes (smugglers).
Trafficking in persons, on the other hand, involves displacement by mistake, coercion or taking advantage of their condition of social vulnerability, with the intention of exploiting it at the final destination, obtaining financial benefit. This exploitation can take many forms, including sexual exploitation, forced labor, forced marriage, organ donation or begging. Trafficking transforms the person into an object of commercialization.
Separating trafficking from migration According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the phenomenon of human trafficking affects mainly women and children, who make up 65% of victims. This phenomenon refers, fundamentally, to a form of exploitation as a result of the prevailing economic system in the world.
This perception is fundamental, as trafficking in persons is often thought of based on their displacement, whether internal or international. What leads to human trafficking is the exploitation of these, regardless of the exploratory purpose.
When the understanding of the phenomenon of trafficking in migration is centralized, there is scope for the implementation of migration control measures as a justification for combating trafficking in persons. Migration per se should not be impeded, limited or restricted. Migration is a human right that must be pursued by National States.
When the understanding of human trafficking is changed to a phenomenon of exploitation, an opportunity is created to think of the victim as a central point of protection, as a subject of violated rights that needs to be, as soon as possible, returned to his or her status as a holder. of rights.
The clarity of this protective normative framework that is committed to the victim and the knowledge of the social phenomenon of trafficking in persons facilitate the observation, analysis, design and execution of potential public policies that address the phenomenon from an integral approach, in the which effective transversality is only guaranteed by focusing on rights.
Migrate as a right
In Latin America, the discrepancies in the countries’ development, mainly due to institutional restructuring and the failure of sub-regional integration processes, are preventing the retention of populations that seek better living conditions in other States.
In addition, in the context of the pandemic, according to a recent Oxfam report, poverty, inequality and lack of employment have deepened, while 73 billionaires in the region increased their fortunes by US$ 48.2 billion in 2020.
It can be said that there are several factors that lead immigrants to leave their countries. Cultures, families and closer social circles are left behind, often as an alternative to better living conditions for themselves and their families, who often stay in the country of origin.
This demand causes many immigrants to accept jobs, often in worse conditions than those to which they were submitted, or even would be submitted in their countries of origin.
Despite being in worse conditions (often even in situations similar to slavery) or being subjected to less complex work, the remuneration for this work is generally better than that paid in the countries of origin, either for the value itself, or for the best exchange rate, encouraging and subjecting immigrants to these situations.
These immigrants send an amount of money to their families, who often survive on that amount, justifying their sacrifice. On the other hand, other symbolic motivations can be identified, which do not only permeate the economic conditions. The dream of working in Europe or the United States is quite strong and idealized. Migrating represents seeking conditions to be someone different, with new social roles.
Analyzing and understanding the migratory process is important, as well as looking at the “migrant” as the social subject of this process. This broad look helps to understand the migratory phenomenon and provides more elements to understand the transformation of the economic sphere, the social sphere, the cultural and symbolic sphere of migratory processes.
