Global Spotlight

Global Overview

An industry built on human misery

Poverty, war, violence and persecution are driving mass migration, and smugglers are making $US10 billion a year from desperate people.

Tracey Ferrier AAP, Petra Kaminsky DPA

Dicing with death on The Beast

The wheels of Mexico’s migrant trains roll on and there’s no shortage of people waiting to board.

Isabel Reviejo – EFE

Global Spotlight

African migrants cling to European dream

The journey to Europe often ends in disaster for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa.

Simon Kremer – DPA

Australia’s ‘war’ on people smugglers

Australia’s military-led solution to stop smugglers’ boats will always be necessary, the government says.

Tracey Ferrier – AAP

‘I am doing good’: a Syrian smuggler’s story

Father-of-four Omar went from construction worker to people smuggler when Syria’s civil unrest began.

DPA Reporters

Southern Sahara

Nigeria’s self-recruited victims of sexual slavery

Some believe they’ll be hairdressers, others high-class prostitutes. But the reality is starkly different.

Sophie Bouillon – AFP

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The Solutions

UN push for migration, refugee pacts

World leaders say addressing flawed migration policies is key to dismantling the smuggling trade.

Tracey Ferrier – AAP

Why closing borders doesn’t stop smugglers

Demand for smuggling services rises when barriers to migration increase, experts say.

Annegret Mathari – SDA

Migrant routes in Europe shift but influx continues

The head of the EU’s border agency Frontex discusses the shifting migrant influx.

Michel Viatteau – AFP

Austria’s Kurz details plan to shut down Mediterranean route

Austria is eyeing Australia’s approach to shut down smuggling in the Mediterranean.

Judith Egger – APA

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