Budding crimes in irregular migration

By Julie Okah-Donli

Harsh economic conditions, especially in developing countries, have created a flourishing atmosphere which traffickers exploit to recruit unsuspecting victims, mostly women and children, who have been subjected to all forms of dehumanizing labour conditions both within and outside the country.

In some cases, people capitalize on unfavourable economic situations to illegally migrate into other countries where they imagine that the streets are laced with gold. Irregular migration is a big enabler of human trafficking.

It provides the opportunity for human trafficking to take place easily since victims have already subjected themselves to compromising situations that can be used against them.

Because of the sensitive nature of irregular migration, many victims will rather remain stuck in their destination countries rather than turning themselves to the authorities where they are sure to be repatriated with their dignity intact.

Like human trafficking, many crimes such as sexual, domestic and gender based violence happen within the confines of irregular migration. From the point of departure to arrival, irregular migrants are subjected to all forms of dehumanizing living conditions.

First of all, migrants who travel by road and by sea are forced into overcrowded vehicles and transported along thick forests and bad roads to where they are exposed to all forms of harsh weather conditions such as extreme cold or extreme heat under excruciating sun.

One of the anonymous callers of Roost Foundation who was once an irregular migrant in another country narrated to us that after paying an agent a huge sum of money for visa, the agent at the point of departure informed them that they would have to travel by road to a nearby country from where they would board a plane to their destination country.

Off they went, with many young boys and girls cramped into a rickety vehicle that was meant to take only eighteen persons. According to this anonymous caller, the journey was better imagined than experienced as they were made to travel through the Sahara desert where some of his counterparts died of thirst after several days of travelling without rest under harsh weather conditions. According to his narration, some of them had to depend on people’s urine to quench their thirst.

After getting to the nearby country, the agent handed them over to another agent who informed them that they had to travel by sea to their destination.

At this point, victims who were bold enough to challenge the trafficker were instantly shot dead. Intimidated and broken, the others set out on sea and right on shore, some victims died of health complications such as pneumonia, sea sickness, tuberculosis and malaria.

Some victims who resisted rape were beaten and thrown into the sea where they met their end and those who survived were subjected to all forms of abuse.

Research has proven that several crimes occur in irregular migration such as domestic servitude and exploitation. Irregular migrants are vulnerable to becoming domestic slaves by virtue of their illegal status in the host country.

This is so because irregular migrants who do not have work permits are left with no option than to accept whatever job that is thrown at them.

Irregular migrants also experience all forms of sexual exploitation such as rape, forced prostitution, incest, forced pornography sodomy, etc. As an irregular migrant, any of these things could happen at any time and most victims are intimidated into silence with their irregular status.

We have cases where people get raped and are afraid to report to the authorities because of the fear of deportation. Sometimes, crime syndicates capitalize on victim’s irregular status to force them into engaging in various forms of unprintable sexual activities.

Drug trafficking is also another form of crime that occurs in irregular migration. In many cases, one of the reasons why people facilitate irregular migration for victims is so they can use them for drug trafficking.

Many migrants who travel through irregular routes are forced to travel with drugs with strict warning not to disclose any information should they get caught.

Human trafficking also occurs in irregular migration. For instance, the anonymous caller narrated how many of them were trafficked from their destination countries to other countries because of their irregular status.

According to him, upon arrival, there were subjected to inhuman living conditions and lived a life of utmost secrecy and then, another human trafficking agent approached their master to sell or rent them to be trafficked to another country.

Organ harvesting is a common crime that accompanies irregular migration. As an irregular migrant, your life has no worth and should your benefactor get a buyer, you can either be sold off or have your organs harvested.

In fact, by virtue of their irregular status, victims are a threat to their host who could also get prosecuted when victims are caught and so the host does not hesitate to sell off victims to the highest bidder who may be into the sale of human parts.

Other crimes include physical violence, extortion, exploitation, etc. Irregular migration should be discouraged as it is a catalyst of greater and forced crimes.

Dame Julie Okah-Donli is the Chair of the board of trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (UNVTF) and Executive Chairman, Roost Foundation. She was until December 2020, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP)