Migration in West and North Africa and across the Mediterranean - Chapter 17

This chapter seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the profiles and network characteristics of smugglers, how they support or facilitate people’s journeys, as well as the role they play in protection incidents experienced by people on the move. The data analysed originate from the Mixed Migration Monitoring Mechanism initiative (4Mi) of the Mixed Migration Centre across North and West Africa. Some of the main findings are: (a) more than two thirds of the migrants surveyed in Libya and half of those in West Africa reported using smugglers on their journeys to/out of Libya; (b) in North Africa, smugglers were cited as the main providers of support (53.6%), and in West Africa they were the second most cited providers (23.5%); however, (c) smugglers are often cited as perpetrators of physical abuse, particularly in North Africa.