Presentation concerns the ICT-Enabled Human Trafficking for Ransom

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ICT-Enabled Human
Trafficking for Ransom
Selam Kidane
April 2016

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Tracing the emergence of ICT-
Enabled Human Trafficking for
Ransom
Reisen, van, M., Gerrima,
Z.,Ghilazghy, S.; Kidane, N.; Rijken,
C.; Stam, van, G.,

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Trafficking for Ransom
 A new form of Human Trafficking for Ransom emerged in 2009
facilitated by ICT features that enabled the commoditisation of
human beings.
 It has been as ‘Sinai trafficking’ in reference to the location where
it was first observed (Reisen & Rijken 2015)
 The objective of the traffickers to benefit and profit from ransom
payments
 The extortion is achieved by forcing human beings held in captivity
to contact relatives, family and friends by mobile phone and
demand their support to pay ransoms for the release. The
pressure on relatives, family and friends is exacerbated by torture.
 The potential threat of the selling of organs for the commercial
organ market has compounded the psychological torture and is
generally believed by the victims (even if no proof of such direct
link is available to date)

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 Many reports identified that in all cases torture was an element of
the modus operandi of human trafficking (ARDC, 2011;
Weldehaimot, S. 2011; Humphris, R., 2013; Amnesty International,
2013; Jacobsen, K., Robinson, S., Lijnders, L., 2013; Human
Rights Watch, 2014).
 Torture was executed for prolonged period of time (often longer
than one month and sometimes for over a year) and included
electrocutation, beating, hanging, burning, chaining, prolonged
exposure to the sun, cruel acts, severe sexual violence, forced
drug use, malnutrition, water deprivation, sleep deprivation, light
deprivation and threat of killing
 Between 25.000 and 30.000 people passed through the Sinai as
victims of human trafficking in the period 2009 – 2013 and it is
estimated that 20%-33% of the people held captive died as a
result of the trafficking (Reisen et. al. 2013)
 The studies report consecutive selling in a series of transactions
and consecutive amounts of ransoms demanded by different
groups of human traffickers (Reisen, et al., 2012, 2013, Human
Rights Watch 2013). It is estimated that US$ 600 million in
ransoms was collected in the period 2009 – 2013

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Involvement of authorities
 The literature refers to involvement of authorities. Reisen et al
(2012, 2013) refer to the involvement of authorities in Eritrea
 There is also evidence that suggests facilitation by some
members of the authorities in Sudan and Egypt
 The involvement of the Eritrean authorities in human trafficking
has been described by het UN Monitoring Report on Eritrea
and Somalia (2011)

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How ICT is enabling Human
Trafficking
1. Intelligence gathering
 Information on law enforcing authorities (police, security agents etc) and their
plans and activities are being monitored by the Human Traffickers and
smugglers and their collaborators and accomplices and information is
exchanged within and among the networks using these technologies.
 locating, monitoring and tracking refugees being smuggled or trafficked by
others
2. Ransom demands and collections
 The torture is almost exclusively orchestrated for the objective of extortion with
the telephone carrying the pain and humiliation right to the very villages and the
homes
 ITCs are also used to coordinate the fund raising, collection and transfers of
ransoms demanded by the Human traffickers and smugglers. Without the ICTs,
there is no way the families and friends of the victims could raise the money
demanded by the captors
 Availability of mobile money

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Boundary defying challenges
 Vulnerable people outside supporting communities and home
countries
 Nation – state – based governance systems have been
rendered ineffective
1. In monitoring and evaluation
2. In control and intervention
 Fits international and inter continental mafia
1. Mobile money
2. Network of criminals
3. Defying rule of law

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Looking forward
 We really need to understand the ‘dark side’ of ICT and data
use more
 The discourse regarding migration needs to take the whole
context into account
 The use of ICT to promote community resilience is an
opportunity that