Strengthening Trans-Regional Action and Responses against the Smuggling of Migrants - STARSOM

This project aims to reduce threats posed to migrants by criminal networks engaging in migrant smuggling from South Asia and Africa through Latin America to the United States and Canada. Project activities include: (1) delivering six training workshops to criminal justice practitioners in countries along the transnational smuggling routes leading to Canada to detect investigate and prosecute migrant smuggling in a gender-informed manner; (2) providing ongoing mentoring and advisory services to selected practitioners handling migrant smuggling cases in investigating and collecting evidence; (3) holding two trans-regional meetings and/or conferences to take stock of trends patterns and challenges in addressing migrant smuggling; and (4) producing an Assessment Report on trends and patterns of transcontinental migrant smuggling. This project is implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime with the support of Canadian governmental agencies such as the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased gender-sensitive investigations and prosecutions into trans-regional migrant smuggling by criminal justice practitioners in beneficiary countries; and (2) improved cooperation among countries along the same migrant smuggling route making use of legal instruments and channels of communication.