Page 67 - FMR64_Trafficking and smuggling & Climate crisis and local communities_2020_web

FMR 64 Trafficking and smuggling 67

June 2020 www.fmreview.org/issue64

Honduran, Salvadoran and Guatemalan the following lessons for all States. Firstly,
people who travel through Mexico to reach do not use the discourse of the fight against
the US. However, the data suggest that fewer people smuggling to legitimise migration
1
Hondurans have enough money to employ control policies. Secondly, do not criminalise
coyotaje services compared with Guatemalans the mobility of migrants and refugees (in
and Salvadorans. Hondurans cross the this case in the form of caravans) because
country alone, in small groups or in caravans, of perceived connections with people
using a combination of different strategies smuggling. And finally, do not criminalise
that allow them to travel despite having few human rights defenders (either in discourse
or no economic resources. This may include or practice); instead, enable them to carry
travelling on foot or using freight trains, out their humanitarian work without being
relying on the solidarity network of shelters harassed by any authority or criminal groups.
that exists along the migration routes, or Eduardo Torre Cantalapiedra etorre@colef.mx
doing casual work en route. As an alternative Researcher, Cátedras Conacyt–El Colegio de la
to using the services offered by coyotes, Frontera Norte
caravans provide a safer way of travel for http://investigadores.colef.mx/cvu.
migrants, offering – through sheer numbers aspx?idinv=375438
– protection, information and assistance,
regardless of people’s financial resources. 2 1. EMIF (2020) ‘Encuestas sobre Migración en la Frontera Sur de
The criminalisation of migrants, asylum México, 2019’ www.colef.mx/emif/
seekers and defenders can also be observed 2. Torre Cantalapiedra E and Mariscal Nava D M (2020)
‘Batallando con fronteras: estrategias migratorias en tránsito de
in many other countries including the US, participantes en caravanas de migrantes’, Estudios Fronterizos, Vol
Spain and Morocco, and we can draw out 21, 1–23 https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2005047

The adverse effects of Niger’s anti-smuggling law

Colleen Moser

The criminalisation of human smuggling in Niger has had a range of negative effects on
migrants and asylum seekers, as well as on their former smugglers and host communities.
Alternative avenues must be pursued.
Due to its position along traditional migration passed comprehensive national-level anti-
routes through West Africa, mixed flows smuggling legislation. Building on the
1
of migrants and asylum seekers have increased engagement in the region that
historically passed through northern Niger. had taken place over this period and in
These mixed movements contained migrants response to growing asylum seeker and
searching for employment elsewhere in the migrant arrivals in Europe, the EU created
region and a range of migrants and asylum its Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF)
seekers hoping to reach Europe, primarily via to fund programmes in development, border
Libya. In this context, a relatively formalised control and migration in order to prevent
smuggling system emerged, which eventually irregular migration flows at their source.
contributed substantially to the local economy. Enormous quantities of EU development
However, as flows through the Sahel assistance have been allocated to Niger in
and Sahara grew during the early 2010s, the recent years, including €1.2 billion between
European Union (EU) became increasingly 2014 and 2020 alone. The EUTF, which
interested in preventing West Africans has projects worth €253 million in Niger,
from arriving in Europe. Niger began has supported anti-smuggling efforts by
cooperating with the EU on migration training Nigerien border personnel and
control and security policies, and in 2015 offering small business projects to former