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Pacific Island nations at risk of becoming footholds for global crime gangs, says UN

Sydney, Australia Reuters Pacific Island nations are at risk of becoming bases for global criminal gangs, a report by the United Nations drug authority said on Friday, as criminal activity surges across the isolated and economically vulnerable region. The report by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said the “threat environment” in the region […]

Biden imposes sweeping asylum ban at US-Mexico border

Washington DC, US Reuters US President Joe Biden on Tuesday instituted a broad asylum ban on migrants caught illegally crossing the US-Mexico border, a major enforcement move in the run-up to November elections that will decide control of the White House. Migrants caught crossing illegally could be quickly deported or turned back to Mexico under […]

Stop human traffickers, Pope Francis says after Italy’s migrant shipwreck

FILE PHOTO: Rescuers get ready to search for survivors in the aftermath of a deadly migrant shipwreck in Steccato di Cutro near Crotone Italy, February 28, 2023.

Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Sunday called on authorities to stop human traffickers operating in the Mediterranean, as he expressed his sorrow over last week’s migrant boat disaster off Italy’s Calabrian coast, in which dozens of people were killed. “I renew my appeal to prevent such tragedies from happening again. May traffickers of human […]

After Italian migrant boat wreck, police arrest three alleged traffickers

A piece of the boat and a piece of clothing from the deadly migrant shipwreck are seen in Steccato di Cutro near Crotone, Italy, February 28, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Crotone, Italy Reuters Italian authorities arrested three people and were looking for a fourth suspect who they believe trafficked up to 200 migrants aboard a wooden boat that smashed apart on rocks off southern Italy on Sunday, killing at least 65 people. The coffins of the victims found were laid out in an indoor sports […]

Updated: Two Mexicans charged after death of 51 migrants in sweltering Texas truck

US Texas San Antonio truck deaths

Updated: 4pm (AEST) San Antonio, Texas, US Reuters At least 51 migrants have died after being trapped inside a sweltering tractor-trailer truck found abandoned in Texas, authorities said on Tuesday, as two Mexican nationals tied to the unprecedented smuggling tragedy were charged in US federal court. The deceased migrants, 39 men and 12 women, most […]

UN investigates reports of migrant mass graves in Libya

Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters UN investigators are seeking to verify reports of mass graves thought to contain the corpses of migrants at a trafficking hub in Libya, they said in a report on Monday that also documented incidents of rape, murder and torture. Libya is a major transit point for Africans seeking to make the perilous journey […]

“Alarming” number of babies being sold in Uzbekistan, anti-trafficking groups say

Uzbek refugee baby

Tbilisi, Georgia Thomson Reuters Foundation Anti-slavery groups have urged Uzbekistan to step up action to tackle baby trafficking after government figures revealed an “alarming” number of infants were being sold in the country.  Uzbek authorities recorded 185 such cases during the past four years, the interior ministry said earlier this month, with officials citing difficult […]

Traffickers, smugglers exploiting COVID-19, Interpol warns after global crackdown

Rohingya human trafficking survivor

London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation Dozens of suspected victims of human trafficking were rescued and more than 200 people arrested in a global crackdown on smuggling and trafficking networks, Interpol said on Friday. The recent week-long operation involved authorities from 32 nations across several continents and led to the identification of 3,500 irregular migrants, the […]

Bangladesh arrests dozens after migrant workers murdered in Libya

Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh police have arrested more than 50 people accused of extorting money from people on false promises of jobs overseas in a major crackdown on human trafficking after 30 migrant workers were murdered in Libya. The series of arrests began after 30 migrants, including 24 Bangladeshi, were abducted and killed by […]