Publicly Identified Cases Involving a Nexus to Terrorism 14 15
The nexus between human trafficking and terrorism · 11/2/2018 · exploring the nexus between HT,...
Transcript of The nexus between human trafficking and terrorism · 11/2/2018 · exploring the nexus between HT,...
The nexus between human trafficking and terrorism
Open briefing of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on
“The nexus between international terrorism and transnational
organized crime”
Monday, 8 October 2018, New York
Ms. Delphine Schantz, CTED Senior Legal Officer
Presentation overview
Links with transnational
organized crime
Human trafficking as a tactic of
terrorism and a source of terrorism
financing
CTED’s mandate pursuant to
UNSCRs 2331 (2016) and 2388
(2017)
CTED’s project on “Identifying and
exploring the nexus between HT, T and TF”
Recommendations
Why talking about HT in relation to the Terror/Crime Nexus ?
❖ Several UNSCRs underscore the concern that terrorist groups benefit from organized crime-related
activities, including HT.
❖ HT is one of the most profitable activities of organized crime. It generates annual profits of around $150
billion.
❖ Even though the HT/TF nexus is difficult to demonstrate, HT could represent a highly opportunistic
source of revenue for terrorists.
❖ The SG has also underscored that terrorism is increasingly interlinked with international organized
crime and the trafficking of people, drugs, arms and corruption.
❖ There are some instances demonstrating that the nexus is not only theoretical but also concrete.
Example of links with organized crime
In Libya, patterns of sexual violence
(encompassing HT) perpetrated by
smugglers, traffickers and hybrid criminal-terrorist networks,
have been well documented
On 7 June 2018, the SC Committee
established pursuant to UNSCR 1970 added six leaders of criminal
networks – responsible for HT and people
smuggling in Libya – to its Sanctions List
In the narrative summary of the
reasons for listing Ahmad al-Dabbashi, it is explained that his
clan and militia “cultivate relationships
with terrorist and violent extremist
groups”
His clan and militia “have long-standing links with ISIL and its affiliates” and “several ISIL operatives have been in their ranks”
The nexus between HT&T
▪ Strategic use of human trafficking-related activities to
➢ Spread terror and advance ideology
➢ Intimidate populations and decimate communities
➢ Institutionalize sexual violence and slavery
➢ Incentivize and bolster recruitment
▪ Human trafficking-related activities can also constitute an opportunistic source of revenue
➢ Captives sold in open slave markets or through online auctions
➢ Captives used as instruments to perform support/servitude roles
➢ Captives used as means to secure ransom/rescue payments
CTED’s ACTION ❖ In accordance with UNSCR 2331 (2016), since March 2017, CTED has included elements related to
human trafficking in its country assessments.
❖ Through its follow-up and recommendations, CTED aims to sensitize Member States on the issue of
human trafficking committed in support of terrorism, including financially.
❖ UNSCR 2388 (2017) encourages Member States to increase efforts to collect, analyze and share data
relating to financial flows associated with human trafficking and the extent and nature of financing of
terrorism through this crime and to provide CTED and the Monitoring Team with relevant information
pertaining to those linkages.
❖ As of January 2018 CTED is member of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in
Persons (ICAT).
❖ CTED was part of the project team of the FATF/APG typology report on “Financial flows from human
trafficking”.
CTED’s Project on HT&T
Outreach to MS, international and regional organizations, academia
Report aimed at highlighting the main outcomes of the study
Findings will contribute to the SG report pursuant
to UNSCR 2388
As limited information has been collected so far, CTED has
undertaken a project aimed at identifying and exploring the
nexus between human trafficking, terrorism and its financing
Questionnaire
➢ In an effort to collect reliable data, CTED
produced and disseminated an ad hoc
questionnaire
➢ As of 8 October 2018, CTED has received 45
completed questionnaires
➢ The questionnaire is divided in 4 sections
▪ The threat
▪ Legal framework
▪ Operational measure
▪ Good practices
Main challenges
Overlaps between different
phenomena
Lack of relevant/substantive
information
Difficulty in collecting evidence
ImpunityLack of capacity/expertise/awareness
Lack of domestic inter-agency coordination/mechanism
Not a significant source of revenue for
terrorists
Some findings (I)
Human trafficking-related activities would
be still on-going in conflict zones
In Iraq 3,117 ISIL captives remain missing
Increase in acts of sexual violence
Acts of abduction and forced recruitment have continued
In February 2018 ISWAP kidnapped 111 schoolgirls from the town of Dapchi
Some findings (II)
▪ Systematic use of deceptive strategies based on employment/education opportunities or
promises of a better life
➢ Women have been promised work opportunities but their salaries have been paid directly to
Al-Shabaab.
➢ 9 women were forcibly taken to Iraq by their husbands. They delivered 45 children in total
within a short period of time.
▪ MS were able to collect some data on the use of human trafficking as a tactic of terrorism
while the majority of them affirmed to lack information on the financial-related aspect of the
issue
Initial recommendations
▪ Raise awareness regarding the possible use of human trafficking both as a tactic of terrorism and as an
opportunistic source of revenue for terrorists.
▪ Consider listing individuals involved in human trafficking who may meet the 1267/1989/2253 Committee’s
designation criteria.
▪ Consider also involvement in human trafficking to finance terrorism be grounds for the designation of a
person/entity pursuant to the asset-freezing mechanism established by States pursuant to UNSCR 1373 (2001).
▪ Human trafficking should be examined as a potential money-laundering/terrorism-financing risk within the
national risk assessment framework.
▪ Enhance cooperation/information-sharing mechanisms between domestic bodies respectively responsible for
the investigation of human trafficking, terrorism, money-laundering and terrorism financing.
▪ Conduct parallel financial investigations in all human trafficking related cases: it appears in fact that the financial
aspect of such crime is not systematically addressed.
Thank you for your attention
For more information, please visit:
www.un.org/en/sc/ctc