Human Trafficking and Organized Crime as Interconnected Threats to Sustainable Peace in Fragile States: A Structural Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58298/832025786Keywords:
human trafficking, organized crime, hybrid state, criminal state, fragile state, transnational networks, sustainable peaceAbstract
The structural relationship between human trafficking and organized crime is evident as intertwined threats to sustainable peace in fragile states. Human trafficking and organized crime pose interconnected, multidimensional challenges that hinder the achievement of sustainable peace in countries with fragile contexts. These two phenomena cannot be treated as separate crimes. They must be viewed as part of a comprehensive system that arises from the weak performance of state institutions, the deterioration of the social contract, and the persistence of illicit economic activities. From a structural perspective, human trafficking may go beyond being merely cases of individual exploitation, whether through forced labor, sexual exploitation, or forced recruitment, to being an indicator of a profound imbalance in political, economic, and social structures. In the same context, organized crime constitutes the general framework that provides the essential elements to support these practices, whether in terms of infrastructure, financing, or the cross-border networks that contribute to their sustainability and expansion.
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