Human trafficking and legalized prostitution in the Netherlands

On 1 October 2000, the Netherlands became the first European country to legalize prostitution as a profession, with its rights and duties. On the other hand, this new Dutch law excluded those sex workers, who come from outside the EU. The majority of women working in the sex industry, who are considered illegal migrants in the Netherlands, had two choices: either leaving the country or disappearing into the illegal criminal circuit. For law enforcement and assistant services, it became extremely difficult to control the sector. In this paper, the consequences of the 'Brothel Law' are presented. What happens with illegal non-European sex workers in the Netherlands, how the problem of human trafficking is constructed in Dutch media and combated in the country, what could be learned from the 'Dutch case'? The paper aims to answer these questions and contribute to the general study on human trafficking and voluntary prostitution in Europe

Human smuggling reconsidered: the case of Lesbos

Siegel, D. Human smuggling reconsidered: the case of Lesbos / Dina Siegel // Constructing and organising crime in Europe / Petrus C. van Duyne, Alexey Serdyuk, Georgios A. Antonopoulos, Jackie H. Harvey, Klaus von Lampe (Eds.); Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, Northumbria University, Teesside University, Utrecht University. – Chicago-Kharkiv : Eleven International Publishing, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, 2019. - P. 103-122. - DOI: https://doi.org/10.32631/ccc19.05.У цій главі викладене емпіричне дослідження про контрабанду людей, на основі аналізу авторських етнографічних даних про контрабанду мігрантів з Туреччини на грецький острів Лесбос. Дослідження має спонукати до роздумів щодо сформованих поглядів на контрабанду людей в академічній та громадській дискусії.This chapter will provide empirical knowledge on human smuggling by analysing my ethnographic data on the smuggling of migrants from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos and by giving a voice to the people who underwent the process. This will offer some food for thought with respect to the prevailing views on human smuggling in the academic and public debate.В этой главе изложенное эмпирическое исследование о контрабанде людей, на основе анализа авторских этнографических данных о контрабанде мигрантов из Турции на греческий остров Лесбос. Исследование должно побуждать к размышлениям относительно сложившихся взглядов на контрабанду людей в академической и общественной дискуссии

Introduction

Organized crime, as a field of study, has always occupied one of the most prominent places in criminology. However, from time to time, researchers tend to ask: what is new in the existing literature on organized crime; which new theoretical insights contribute to our understanding of this phenomenon; what new trends and markets have emerged in relation to organized crime activities? is it worthwhile to continue exploring ‘old’ research areas like drugs, human trafficking and so on? although some of these questions are hard to answer in a straightforward manner, it is clear that organized crime remains a topical and important issue. Mafias migrate, new forms of organized crime have popped up, traditional activities and modi operandi have been replaced by modern ones. The dynamics of organized crime activities, the fluid and vague structures of criminal organizations and the slow disappearance of secrecy and trust as a result of mass social media and new cyber technologies – all these phenomena require an adequate response from law enforcement and other local and global actors

Mobilios lietuvių nusikaltėlių grupės Nyderlanduose

Since the end of the 1990s, the police in the Netherlands has regularly reported on the criminal activities of Lithuanian itinerant groups as part of the mobile banditry phenomenon. According to the reports, these groups commit crimes against property, they are highly professional and well-organized. In particular, they are involved in vehicle, shop, and cargo theft and burglaries. The present article is based on the research conducted in 2013 and aims to provide explanations and analyses of the historical, socio-economic, and political backgrounds of the ‘itinerant criminal gangs’ phenomenon. The focus is on the gangs from Lithu­ania. The analysis is done from different perspectives: lessons from the past (historical analysis of banditry); the rise of organized crime as a consequence of the collapse of the socialist economy (economic analysis of new markets and clients); the context of globalization, and particularly enlargement of the European Union, the irresistible at­traction of the West and the gap between the wealthy West (the Netherlands) and the poor East (Lithuania) (cultural criminological analysis of the push and pull factors). The precise and detailed description of the modus operandi, structure, leadership, and targets of the Lithuanian groups are illustrated by various quotes of the ‘intern’ re­spondents, from police and justice experts in specific areas in Lithuania and the Neth­erlands to Lithuanian detainees in Dutch prisons. Where are the stolen goods, are they brought back to the Lithuanian market, or further on to the former Soviet republic, or perhaps they are sold to the local Dutch merchants in the local settings? How the con­tacts between Lithuanian and Dutch (or Afghan, Russian, etc.) criminals are created? These questions are answered on the basis of numerous interviews, observations and comparative literature analysis.The last part of the article focuses on the questions how to tackle and combat this rel­atively new form of organized crime and what are the responsibilities of different institu­tions and organizations in this context (in the EU, in the Netherlands, and in Lithuania).Nuo praėjusio amžiaus paskutinio dešimtmečio pabaigos Nyderlandų policija regulia­riai praneša apie keliaujančių lietuvių grupių nusikalstamas veikas kaip apie mobilaus banditizmo fenomeno dalį. Ataskaitose teigiama, kad šios grupės vykdo turtinius nu­sikaltimus, yra labai profesionalios ir gerai organizuotos. Jos ypač dažnai atlieka trans­porto priemonių, parduotuvių, krovinių vagystes ir įsilaužimus. Šiame straipsnyje remiamasi 2013 m. atliktu tyrimu, siekiant pateikti ir išanalizuo­ti istorines, socialines-ekonomines ir politines mobilių nusikalstamų gaujų fenomeno priežastis. Daugiausia dėmesio skiriama gaujoms iš Lietuvos. Analizė atlikta įvairiomis perspektyvomis: analizuojamos praeities pamokos (istorinė banditizmo analizė), or­ganizuoto nusikalstamumo augimas kaip socialistinės ekonomikos žlugimo pasekmė (ekonominė naujų rinkų ir klientų analizė), globalizacijos kontekstas ir ypač Europos Sąjungos plėtra, nenugalima Vakarų trauka ir atotrūkis tarp pasiturinčių Vakarų (Ny­derlandai) ir skurdžių Rytų (Lietuva) (kultūrinė ir kriminologinė traukos ir atstumties veiksnių analizė). Tikslus ir detalus lietuvių grupuočių modus operandi (veikimo būdo), struktūros, vadovavimo ir tikslų aprašymas grindžiamas įvairiais respondentų pasisakymais, Lie­tuvos ir Nyderlandų policijos ir specialių sričių teisės specialistų pokalbiais su sulaiky­taisiais Olandijos kalėjimuose. Kur dedami vogti daiktai, ar jie patenka į Lietuvos rinką, ar toliau – į buvusias sovietines respublikas, o gal jie parduodami olandų prekybinin­kams vietiniuose prekybos taškuose? Kaip mezgami ryšiai tarp Lietuvos ir Olandijos (arba Afganistano, Rusijos ir pan.) nusikaltėlių? Atsakymai į šiuos klausimus paremti gausiais interviu, pastebėjimais bei lyginamąja literatūros analize