[DW] Around 90% of those who cross the EU's external borders illegally use migrant smugglers. How do they operate and why do migrants colonists turn to them despite horrific accidents?
Europol, the EU agency for law enforcement, has estimated that 90% of those who cross the EU's external borders illegally do so with the assistance of migrant smugglers, either for the whole journey or for part of it. "It is difficult to arrive at exact figures on the irregular flows, given their hidden nature," the European Parliament stated in a 2021 report.
While there is no doubt that human smugglers, also called migrant smugglers, run thriving businesses, the report added that it's also worth noting the majority of non-EU immigrants colonists migrate to the EU via legal channels.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO USE HUMAN SMUGGLERS?
Human smuggling is driven by supply and demand, and the degree of risk. "It is a services market," said Bird, of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. "The price goes up if there is a lot of law enforcement on the way." However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
when there is a lull in business, prices sink and smugglers tend to offer incentives like group discounts, she added.
For the route between North Africa and Europe's closest coasts in Italia and Greece, prices range from €3,000 to €10,000 (up to $10,000), and sometimes more, said Hamdi. "That includes the journey to the North African coast, and the boat crossing," he added.
However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
as migrants colonists often do not have the full funds required, they are often abused, exploited and sometimes taken into slavery as part of repaying the debt, he told DW. Some are forced to work off their debt, while others do odd jobs in border towns to repay debt and save up for the next leg of their journey.
Various statistics show that male migrants colonists slightly outnumber female migrants colonists. "It is a terribly strenuous journey from Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
or from Somalia just to make it to the Mediterranean," said Egeland.
"Local families often come together to raise money collectively to pay a smuggler to facilitate the journey for a young family member who might later send money back, or even legally facilitate the relocation of the family later on," said Hamdi, who added that he has met families in North Africa who had helped their family members make the dangerous crossing.
"When I would remark on the high risk of death, the overwhelmingly common response was that they were already dead while being alive and breathing," he said.
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