Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants as Sources of Money Laundering: the Case of Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2013-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
There is growing tendency that criminals are involving in generating illegal profit from
trafficking and smuggling of migrants across the world. Since the nature of the crimes, in most
cases, is linked with organized transnational criminals, several international researchers have
shown trend and magnitude of the problem. Moreover significant numbers of Ethiopians were
being trafficked/ smuggled to the Middle East, Republic of South Africa and to Europe. The
purpose of the research paper, hence, is to provide a picture on the nexus between money
laundering or proceeds of crime and crimes of trafficking/smuggling of migrants as predicate
offences, so that suggest to consider the confiscation of traffickers/smugglers property generated
from predicate offences will contribute on effective prevention of money laundering in general
and human trafficking and smuggling of migrants in particular. The research has been exploited
a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. In order to draw conclusion and
recommendation combined primary and secondary data analysis is conducted. Victims of
trafficking from Ethiopia had cost considerable amount of money at the beginning of the process,
during the process and even at the destination countries. Moreover they incurred psychological
and physical costs, beyond the material and financial fee, at any point in time during or after the
travel which in turn leads to the suffering of their families from socio-economic challenges.
The findings of the research reveal that although the government of the Federal Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) has been making efforts to minimize the problem in punishing
criminals who are involved in such operations wider gap however is remaining on law
enforcement professionals and judges regarding laundered financial or material properties
generated from trafficking/ smuggling of migrants which are liable to be confiscated according
to the law of the country needs to be addressed properly. The research suffers from accessing and
collecting the relevant data from law enforcement professionals and judges who are currently
working in all regional administrations. Furthermore, the clandestine nature of the crimes made
difficulty in covering substantial information regarding the extent traffickers/smugglers generate
illegal profits which constitute further research.
Description
Keywords
Human Trafficking