ABSTRACT

The reinstating of temporary EU-internal physical borders and their increased safeguarding through border checks has increased the dependence of irregular migrants on organised criminal groups (OCGs) in facilitating their journeys. The article explores organisational structure and operation of OCGs operating within this under-researched human smuggling context, with a focus on the transit stage between Northern Italy and Central Europe. Results of a secondary source – and expert interview analysis reveal that these OCGs are small, multi-ethnic, decentralised, with a basic higher- and lower-tier organisational structure but can be far-reaching. It is argued that law enforcement methods alone do not suffice in reducing this illicit market and require political and socio-economic market reduction strategies, which address the precarity of human smugglers. Importantly, active labour market policies, alternatives to monetary sanctioning and urban development are measures, which constitute an increasingly defended approach for addressing illicit markets in a more long-term sustainable manner.

摘要

恢复临时欧盟内部物理边界并通过边境检查加强保护，增加了非正常移民对有组织犯罪集团 (OCG) 的依赖，以促进他们的旅程。本文探讨了在这一研究不足的人口走私环境中运作的 OCG 的组织结构和运作，重点是意大利北部和中欧之间的过境阶段。二级来源的结果和专家访谈分析表明，这些 OCG 规模小、多种族、分散，具有基本的上级和下级组织结构，但可能影响深远。有人认为，仅靠执法方法不足以减少这个非法市场，需要政治和社会经济市场减少战略，这解决了人口走私者的不稳定问题。重要的是，积极的劳动力市场政策、货币制裁的替代方案和城市发展等措施，构成了以更长期可持续的方式解决非法市场问题的越来越受保护的方法。