Pakistan has always been a major source of illegal migration to Western countries, and it has seen a spike in recent times thanks to the burgeoning economic crisis in the country. Similarly, it is a major hub for human trafficking as hundreds of thousands of Pakistani, especially, women and children are trafficked across international borders. It is not just Pakistanis but refugees from southern and south- east Asia too are smuggled to the west by Pakistan-based mafias and criminal gangs.

These activities now have posed security threats to the US and several European countries. The generosity shown by these countries in providing shelter appears to be turning against them now. Illegal Pakistani migrants have been found responsible for spreading religious extremism and carrying out terror activities in the West. Major terror attacks such as the 9/11, London bombing, Madrid train attack, Barcelona attack, and the fatal attack at Charlie Hebdo in France were carried out by people who migrated from Pakistan.

According to National Legal Incubation Centre, which is supported by US Mission Pakistan, around 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistanis attempt to entre Europe illegally every year. France has witnessed illegal migration by hundreds of Pakistani. In 2019, French authorities arrested 19 Pakistanis, who were hiding inside a truck.France and other European countries have expressed concerns over illegal Pakistani migrants thanks to the religious extremism being shown by them. In 2021, Spanish police busted a human smuggling racket that was sending Pakistani people to different Europe countries illegally.

There are around 120,000 Pakistanis living in Italy at present. Mixed Migration Centre, a Europe-based research group, revealed that 88 percent of Pakistani people who arrived in Italy recently used a smuggler to cross borders. European Parliament Member Dominique Bilde said Pakistan was involved in the sale of European Union passports and visas to people with criminal backgrounds, which posed a serious security. “We have seen, Pakistan is the leader in fake passports and fake documents,” said Bilde, further slamming Pakistan for utilising international aid for fomenting terror.

Religious extremism, military high-handedness, political instability, natural disasters, food shortage, rising unemployment, conflict and violence have forced millions of Pakistanis to flee the country and find shelter in prosperous Western countries. They resorted to whichever options were available to migrate, mostly, through illegal means. United Nations has called Pakistan a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking and smuggling in persons.

The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) said human trafficking in Pakistan was widespread. “Pakistan’s human smuggling market is also flourishing, as many Pakistanis seek the services of smugglers in order to travel to Western countries,” it said. Human trafficking is operated by mafia-style groups and criminal networks such as People’s Aman Committee, D-Company, Altaf Khanani, who have links with corrupt government officials and political parties.American authorities found hundreds of Pakistanis were entering the country from the southern border illegally, and it was operated by a Pakistan-based human smuggling organization. Citing it as a “threat to the national security”, they designated Pakistani citizen Abid Ali Khan, who operated a transnational human smuggling network. “Abid Ali Khan is alleged to have organized and led an international organization that, in exchange for monetary payment, facilitated the illegal smuggling of individuals through various countries to the United States,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid.

Khan carried out human smuggling operations from Pakistan’s Nowshera, which is known for violent Islamic militancy and terror activities. US government announced USD 2 million award for information that leads to the arrest of Khan. There is deep involvement of Pakistani officials in the human trafficking business. This is a major reason why these syndicates work fearlessly. Pakistan government had to accept that the employees of the state-run airliner PIA were involved in human smuggling to Europe and other parts of the world.

Despite requests and warnings from Western countries, the Pakistani government appeared to have failed in dismantling the human trafficking run by Pakistani-based syndicates. Now, European Union has threatened tighter visa restrictions if Pakistandid not take the illegal migrant back.Now the EU is getting the Pakistani government to come up with plans to stop the “smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings”.

L'articolo Pakistan plays crucial role in illegal migration and human trafficking to West proviene da InsideOver.

In May — the first month after the apogee of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which several countries lifted the lockdowns restrictions for many industries — more than 4,000 people tried to enter the European Union illegally. The statistics are according to border protection agency Frontex, which noted that the majority of illegal entries occurred from Turkey and Greece.

Illegal Border Crossings Once Again on the Rise

In May, almost three times as many people tried to enter the European Union as in April. There were almost 4,300 unauthorized border crossings on the main migration routes in Europe in May alone, according to figures from Frontex. In April, the numbers had temporarily decreased due to COVID-19. For the year so far, Frontex has recorded a total of 31,600 illegal border crossings from January to May – a six percent decrease compared to the same period in the previous year.

The route across the eastern Mediterranean — via Turkey and Greece — was again the most active migration route to Europe, accounting for 1,250 illegal border crossings in May, eight times as many as in April. From January to May, 12,700 cases were registered, 28 percent fewer than in the same period last year. Afghan nationals conducted the majority of the illegal crossings.

The Morocco to Spain Route and Western Balkans Route

In addition, more than 650 people arrived in the EU in May across the western Mediterranean from Morocco to Spain. That was almost four times as many as in April. There were 3,700 migrants registered in the first five months of the year, less than half than in the same period last year. Almost every second individual was Algerian. The Western Balkans route recorded more than 900 illegal border crossings in May, ten times more than in April. From January to May there were more than 6,900 cases, an increase of 50 percent over the same period last year.

Moreover, there were around 1,000 unauthorized border crossings on the route across the central Mediterranean – from Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta, an increase of 40 percent compared to April. From January to May, Frontex recorded 5,500 cases, almost three times as many as in the same period in 2019, with a majority of migrants being of Bangladeshi, Sudanese and Ivory Coast decent.

Crisis Spot: the Greek Turkish Border

According to Frontex, the situation on the Greek-Turkish border, in particular, remains volatile. At the end of February, Turkish President Recep Erdogan told migrants that the borders with the EU were open in an attempt to put pressure on Europe. As a result, tens of thousands of migrants made their way to the border with Greece.

If a similar situation occurrs again the Frontex staff in Greece will be increased, Frontex chair Fabrice Leggeri stated. Currently, only 600 Frontex members are deployed in Greece. However, up to 1,500 more could be mobilized. Leggeri also criticized the current EU asylum system. According to him, asylum applications should already be checked at the external borders. Asylum seekers should be informed as soon as possible whether they will be granted refugee status or not. If the asylum decision is unfavorable, migrants needed to be deported immediately, Leggeri argues.

While the number of arriving, refugees are increasing across the EU, only over a thousand people have voluntarily returned to Syria from Germany since 2017, for example, and only through the financial support of the German government. Accordingly, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) paid a total of 199 return trips in 2017, 466 in 2018 and 347 last year. Due to the ongoing difficult security situation, voluntary return to Syria is not currently being promoted in Germany, nor the EU. Besides, Germany has not deported people to the country since 2012.

Almost 630,000 Syrians have applied for asylum in Germany since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The vast majority of applications are being approved.

L'articolo Illegal immigration into the European Union is Increasing Again Despite COVID-19 proviene da InsideOver.

Austria’s unlikely coalition between the conservative Austrian People’s Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, or ÖVP) and the Greens has been formed after weeks of hard-fought negotiations. Their respective party chairs Sebastian Kurz and Werner Kogler announced that the middle of the week would successfully conclude their discussions.

Why Are The Greens Teaming Up With The ÖVP?

Before the announcement, the Greens had previously accepted an invitation to the ÖVP’s congress, who will have to vote on the coalition agreement for what is certainly considered a favor. For the ÖVP, Kurz does not need any official approval from the party committees; thus, the first ÖVP-Green coalition in history is a formality at this stage. An official announcement of the agreement is expected on Thursday, and the new government could begin to operate as soon as January 7.

A government with the Greens also means a new beginning for the old and new Chancellor Kurz. From the beginning of the negotiations, both party leaderships had indicated their parties were coming from diametrically opposed school of thought politically.

Austria Will Have To Embrace Its Creative Side

Creative solutions will thus be necessary above all for the core issues of climate policy and migration. Kurz and Kogler announced that significant encumbrances had been overcome in the past few days. However, no details were provided. Nevertheless, there are indications that both parties will enjoy individual liberties in the environmental and security area.

ÖVP chair Kurz recently announced his vision for the coming years on Facebook would remain “lower taxes. End debt policy” and another of Kurz’s signature stances, namely to “fight illegal migration.” The latter will be the most difficult issues to come together on for the coalition. However, Kurz made it clear during the government negotiations: his party received the Austrian people’s support based on his policies; hence the ÖVP’s identity will not be changed in years to come.

Nonetheless, the question of how refugee policy will be facilitated going forward remains unanswered at this stage. The establishment of a new state asylum agency was decided under the previous government. From 2021 onward, the same agency is also due to provide refugee return and legal advice. However, the NGOs that have been performing this task so far have agreed on a shorter notice period for their contracts—leaving the new government with an immediate gap to bridge.

Healthcare Policy And The ÖVP

In the care and health sector, the ÖVP has already set priorities in the National Council election campaign by seeking to secure funding, ideally with some form of insurance. In particular, they have emphasized that home care should also be made more accessible. The Greens, on the other hand, have emphasized careers in the healthcare industry. Healthcare staff—often foreigners—should, therefore, be protected from exploitation and also have the opportunity to cost-effectively receive the right training for their job.

According to reports, the Greens are set to run the Department of Health and are thus likely to implement their agenda first. Besides the Department of Health, the Greens will run the Ministry of Infrastructure, the departments of Social Affairs, the judiciary, culture, and sport together with public service. Meanwhile, the ÖVP will control the departments of finance, home affairs, economy, and education as well as defense, economy, and the Foreign Ministry. Importantly, the final decision on who receives how much in the budget will remain with the Chancellor Party. Moreover, the international stage will continue to belong to the ÖVP: with Kurz in the leading role, but also with an ÖVP-led foreign ministry. The European agendas also remains with the ÖVP.

‘New Political Culture’

The new government will sound differently. Greens chair Kogler already indicated last Friday that the coalition would establish a “new political culture” after the ÖVP’s former coalition partner FPÖ had its fair share of controversies. What will be most interesting to see, however, is whether Kurz is about to expose himself as a political opportunist. When he entered the coalition with the far-right FPÖ, Kurz was heavily criticized, and against his better judgment, he decided to cooperate with the FPÖ to become Austria’s Chancellor.

For a coalition with the Greens now, the very same man Sebastian Kurz will have to either transform to accommodate the Greens partially leftist ideology without losing his core principles or simply embrace a role as a leader who is willing to sacrifice his convictions to remain in power.

L'articolo Austria’s New Odd Couple Government proviene da InsideOver.

A Nigerian pastor is facing trial in France for allegedly running a sex slavery ring. He is charged with aggravated pimping and slavery, which he has denied.

35-year-old pastor, Stanley Omoregie claimed in court last week that he rented out apartments to young women without knowing that they were prostitutes.

“What do you think these women were doing to pay you rents of several hundred euros a month, without working, since they had no residence permit?”, the court president asked.

Omoregie claimed that he only wanted to help people in his community without finding out where his alleged tenants were getting their money from. In a text sent to an unknown number, he asks for “those with beautiful bodies, who can be controlled, not those that cause problems.”

The French-speaking Nigerian is part of an accused twenty-four member family-based syndicate of sex traffickers, including 10 men and 14 women.

One of Europe’s most wanted women, Jessica Edosowman is also part of the accused. She is thought to be on the run in Europe, and will be tried in absentia. Edosowman has been accused of recruiting women in Nigeria and trafficking them to France: in Lyon, Montpellier and Nimes.

French prosecutors estimate that, by selling sex for less than €10, Omoregie’s 7 alleged victims – aged between 17 and 38 – made up to €150,000 a month for the syndicate.

In 2016, illegal migrants from Nigeria made up 21% of more than 171, 000 migrants that attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Italy, according to figures from the Italian Interior Ministry. The United Nations Migration Agency said in 2017 that perhaps 80 per cent of Nigerian migrant women and girls arriving on Europe’s shores in Italy could potentially be sex trafficking victims.

By 2017, the UN Migration Agency in Italy had seen an “almost 600 per cent increase in the number of potential sex trafficking victims arriving in Italy by sea”. Most of these victims, the UN claims, arrived from Nigeria.

In France and other European countries, Nigerian sex workers now outnumber sex workers from other nations, including China and Eastern European nations. Before reaching the Mediterranean Sea, many trafficked victims travel across the Sahara Desert to reach Libya and, ultimately, Europe. According to UNODC figures, 94 per cent of Nigerian women and girls trafficked into Europe come from Edo State, a major trafficking hub in Nigeria.

Many sex workers trafficked from Edo State partake in black magic rituals in Nigeria before their journey begins. During these rituals, they make “spiritual” promises to repay the money incurred towards their passage into Europe. These “voodoo rites” forbid these women and girls from breaking their spiritual ‘contract’ with their traffickers. The fear of the spiritual ramifications of breaking a voodoo contract is used as a “tool of subordination” against trafficked sex workers and “impacts their will to return home without having fully paid their debt”.

”May God kill me now if a girl has worked for me,” Omoregie said in court. The accused sex slavery syndicate covers the entire cycle of sex trafficking activities, from former prostitutes who have paid of their debts and now smuggle in their own sex workers, to violent pimps, drivers of vans in which women performed sex acts for money, and money launderers who handled the money raked in by the sex workers.

Lyon police spent months of wiretaps and surveillance between September 2017 and January 2018, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

The accused face 10 years in jail each, if convicted. It is unclear what would happen to the trafficked women and girls, and whether Lyon authorities would give them full rights as both sex workers and illegal immigrants.

L'articolo Nigerian “Sex Slavery” Ring Goes on Trial in France proviene da InsideOver.