International Cooperation in Combating Human Trafficking in the EU: Evidence from Turkey

Abstract

Human trafficking lies at the heart of international organised crime. It is concerned with profits in terms of the exploitation of human beings. It is an abuse of basic rights. The enormous interest and concern for trafficking and human struggling is factual evidence. In the EU, policy on irregular migration is driven by the perception that the member states risk being overwhelmed by large numbers of irregular migrants thought to constitute a threat to national security. This has implications for policy measures designed to combat trafficking and human smuggling, which may not work without international cooperation. In most cases, victims are brought to the EU member states from abroad. This creates a demand for international obligations for cooperation and related instruments for combating human smuggling and trafficking. Therefore, the member states and their law enforcement agencies cannot tackle human trafficking alone. A question arises as to whether Turkey can be a vital partner, based on the facts that it is a transit country, with a strong border and assuming that it has a role to play, through its expertise and its commitment to dealing with the effects of trafficking. Unfortunately, these facts are still overlooked, while disproportionately intensive efforts are expended on dealing with questions of national security by the member states. Combating illegal immigration and reducing and controlling migration are frequently seen through the magnifying glass of the struggle against human trafficking. This article focuses on the international factors involved and how the wider international community might be able to play an effective role in helping to tackle human trafficking. It argues that continued coordination and collaboration across the countries is vital. The article reviews the empirical evidence from Turkey, as non-EU/candidate countries' cooperation and assistance in human trafficking may have an important dimension.

Analysis of Policies on Combating Human Trafficking Crimes at the International and National Levels

“…Criminological research also emphasizes the importance of defining the nature of this crime and determining its composition to successfully combat it (Kownacki, 2021). Despite considerable research, there is a lack of research in the context of international legal cooperation between states in the Central Asian regions on preventing and combating human trafficking (Oguz, 2012). The issue of the human rights of trafficked persons should be an essential element in all efforts to prevent and combat the phenomenon.…”

The Impact of UN Peacekeeping Operations on Human Trafficking

“…These findings are consistent with Bale’s analysis of push and pull factors driving trafficking, as well as a 2010 OSCE report of trafficking in twenty‐five states (Bales, ; Aronowitz et al, ). These large‐ and medium‐n studies are accompanied by a robust body of country‐case studies considering supply‐and‐demand factors of trafficking across European states, Haiti, Israel, Kosovo, Russian Federation and post‐Soviet states, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Turkey, and the United States, to name a few (Brunovskis and Tyldum, ; Tiurukanova, ; Smith and de al Cuesta, ; Smith and Smith, ; Tverdova, ; Oğuz, ; Jac‐Kucharski, ; Kelemen and Johansson, ; Britton and Dean, ; Hacker, ).…”