Who are traffickers?

Thus far, little research has been conducted on those who perpetrate or participate in the crime of trafficking. Information from law enforcement professionals and immigration experts suggests that, as victims, there is no one profile or network structure description that accurately captures all global trafficking. Traffickers may include, for example, amateur traffickers (small, opportunistic operators, such as those who provide a single service, e.g., transport); small groups of organized criminals (those that specialize in escorting migrants from country to country, sometimes based on family connections, but less ‘professional’ than those operating in international networks); and international trafficking networks (those who address all aspects, including recruitment, documents, accommodation, transport, placement or sale of victims; these groups are often involved in other criminal activities). {1}

Defining the characteristics of a “trafficker” is complex, one might, for example, try to look at the various roles that a trafficker might play in order to understand perpetrators in practical ways, such as how they carry out the crime. Recruiters and recruitment in many situations include, for example, individuals posing as employment or travel services. In other circumstances, recruitment tactics include men introducing themselves to women and their family as well-situated young men living outside the country. They then make marriage proposals, promising to care for the girl and send money home to the family. {2}

Otherwise, one might attempt to tie many of the features of a trafficker to motives. One might thus look at one of the most important motives: profit. There is enormous financial gain to be made in trafficking. Viewing motives would be to look at traffickers from criminal law enforcement and/or global market perspectives. Taking a market perspective may also mean looking at the way in which traffickers are responding to demand. Common techniques used by traffickers can be assembled based on case studies in forms and execution of coercion and abuse emerge in examples from around the world. A summary of some techniques used by traffickers might include the following:

• Terrorizing: to instill persistent and relentless fear.
• Lying and deceiving: to undermine individuals’ trust in their perception of themselves and their understanding of the world around them so as to destabilize their ability to plan or anticipate events based on their former concepts of the world, forcing them to relinquish previous life strategies in exchange for responsive and self-defensive survival strategies.

All these tend to create the sense that the individual has few options other than those preferred by the perpetrator. Additionally, to give the sense that the individual’s well-being and safety depends on pleasing the perpetrator.

REFERENCES

{1} Graycar, A. Trafficking in human beings. in international Conference on Migration, Culture & Crime. 1999. Israel.

{2} Renton, D., 2001. Child trafficking in Albania. Save the Children: Tirana.