TRAFFICKERS AND HUMAN SMUGGLERS TO APPROACH MIGRANTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

October 18, 2017

Credits: La Libre

Fast, efficient, zero cost ... Traffickers and human smugglers clearly understood this: the recruitment of victims now passes through Internet and social media. The police and the judicial bodies, who keep tracking of their movements, use the same media as additional investigative tools to detect targeted groups, identify the suspects and intercept messages that pass between them. The Belgian independent national rapporteur on human trafficking , the Federal Center for Migration (Myria) is focusing on its twentieth report, published on Monday, on this issue.

In 2016, 17,000 smugglers used Facebook to organize their activities to Europe, according to Europol figures. "Advertisements" including passer data, prices, success rates and promotional films have been found on the internet. There are even Facebook groups where migrants can contact smugglers and compare illegal routes or destination countries.