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Protection Risks and Human Smuggling on the Eastern Migration Route

Protection Risks and Human Smuggling on the Eastern Migration Route

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION, YEMEN

Close to 150,000 migrants move from the Horn of Africa through Yemen to Gulf countries. Many migrants on this route face life threatening protection risks ranging from starvation to abduction by smugglers. However the ongoing civil war in Yemen has left limited space for humanitarian agencies to meet the needs of migrants given the scale of the humanitarian crisis within Yemeni communities.

Meraki Labs conducted research intended to support IOM in identifying major protection risks facing migrants, as well as coping mechanisms that migrants have adopted over time. Meraki Labs provided programming recommendations that account for the fragility of the context and the vulnerability of the target population.

“We are the ones they come to when nobody can help” Afghan smugglers’ perceptions of themselves and their communities

“We are the ones they come to when nobody can help” Afghan smugglers’ perceptions of themselves and their communities

International Organization for Migration, Migration Research Series No.56

 

Authored by Abdullah Mohammadi, Ruta Nimkar and Emily Savage, this publication in the Migration Research Series analyses the perceptions that Afghan smugglers have of themselves and of their relationships with their communities in Afghanistan. The paper is based on interviews with 23 smugglers in three sites in Afghanistan and considers community dynamics and low-level smugglers rather than high-level organizers of smuggling networks. It highlights that smuggling networks have a long-standing and respected place in Afghan culture. The paper also provides an analysis of factors that affect perceptions of and trust in smugglers among Afghan society. It concludes with some implications to support policy responses and programming concerning migrant smuggling and migration in Afghanistan.