Money laundering by mafiosi, human trafficking and cyber crime: these are the top three security threats identified by the Swiss federal police in their 2010 annual report (German). What is striking about this list is that each menace is transnational in nature. What does this mean? For one: as this assessment by the Swiss authorities [...]

On Sunday, 5 December 2010, Pope Benedict XVI called on the world to pray for “the victims of traffickers and criminals, such as the drama of the hostages, Eritreans and of other nationalities, in the Sinai desert”. By doing so, he lifted the lid on years of international indifference to the plight of the refugees [...]

According to the latest statistics at least 12 million people are caught in the cycle of human trafficking. Based on data from selected European countries, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says that 95 percent of the victims have also experienced physical or sexual violence. If these stats aren’t depressing enough, the [...]

Almost 12 million people live in the US-Mexico border area: hundreds of thousands cross the 3000 km-long border every day – legally and illegally. It is the most protected US border, with no less than 90 percent of all US border patrol agents working there. In addition to immigration and associated human rights challenges, cross-border [...]