Human smugglers often subject migrants to extreme violence, torture, rape and kidnapping. Authorities take little action to persecute these crimes, according to a new report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. "We found that male migrants are primarily subjected to forced labor and physical violence while women are more exposed to sexual violence, leading to unwanted pregnancies and abortions. The authors of the study made several recommendations to member states on how to better combat violence and abuse through human smugglers. Among them are that authorities should take into account aggravations (such as violence) in their prosecution of human smuggling networks.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 01, 2021 13:07 UTC