Unconventional Trafficking: Trafficking in Human Beings for Organ Removal
摘要
Whilst human trafficking for any purpose is a largely hidden problem, trafficking human beings for organ removal is especially so. It is estimated that only ten percent of global organ needs are covered by ethical/legal transplants. Criminal networks have emerged to exploit and profit from the desperation of patients and coerce the vulnerable into selling their organs. Trafficking Human Beings for Organ Removal (THBOR) is a form of trafficking in which an individual is exploited for their organ, including by ‘coercion, deception and abuse of a position of vulnerability’. Whilst there is increasing evidence that this a crime that is on the rise, it is also apparent that there are barriers to reporting, investigating, and prosecuting which mean the full scale of THBOR is not truly known. This chapter maps the rise of THBOR, highlights the key actors who perpetrate the crime, and identifies the range of issues that make this transnational crime such a challenge for law enforcement. It then gives four spotlights that demonstrate those issues in practice, and the lessons that can be learned from current actions. Finally, we conclude with a range of recommendations for how we can better tackle this growing unconventional organised crime.