In May, amid increased migrant flows from Africa to Europe, Niger approved a bill that will translate the United Nations protocol against the smuggling of migrants into national law. In an email interview, Oliver Kaplan, an assistant professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and associate director of the Human Trafficking Center, discussed the U.N. protocol and Niger’s efforts to implement it.
WPR: What are the main provisions of the U.N. protocol against smuggling migrants?
Oliver Kaplan: The U.N. protocol against smuggling migrants contains provisions for the criminalization of smuggling and the care and return of victims of smuggling, as well as measures to stop exploitation and ensure humane treatment of victims. In addition, the protocol calls for technical training and international cooperation to implement its provisions. It also calls for public awareness and prevention programs to address the causes of migrant smuggling, including focused development programming in migrant source regions to address the vulnerability to smuggling.