13.10: Resources and References

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 77179

$ \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } $ $ \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} $$\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$ $ \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}$ $ \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}$ $ \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}$ $ \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}$ $ \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$ $\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$ $ \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}$ $ \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}$ $ \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}$ $ \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}$ $ \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$$\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}$

Review

Key Points

Transnational crime can be distinguished from international crime in that the former is crime that crosses international borders and affects the interests of more than one state.
The trafficking of drugs, counterfeit goods, arms, humans, protected species and environmental resources (such as diamonds) across international borders are some examples of transnational crimes.
Ethnic conflict, unstable regimes, economic hardship, globalization, immense profits and corruption are some of the drivers of the issue.
Although an accurate figure on the economic scale of transnational crime is impossible, credible estimates range from $1.6 to $2.2 trillion annually.
Transnational crime is a problem for the political, economic and social development of states as well as state security; it also has numerous negative impacts for the human security of individuals, whether as consumers living in the developed world or as victims from the developing world.
UN conventions, regional approaches, national-level legislation and NGOs are some of the main ways by which transnational crime is addressed.
The main obstacles limiting effective action against transnational crime are the normative assumptions underpinning state sovereignty, the dominance of a state centred security perspective rather than a human security centred approach and the slow progress in achieving a moral consensus among society in general.

.Extension Activities & Further Research

Discuss the difficulties in dealing with transnational criminal organizations.
What crimes are not yet defined as transnational crimes but should be in your view?
Should terrorism be classified as a transnational crime? Find arguments for and against this proposition.
Discuss whether transnational crime is mainly a problem for the developed or developing world.
Is downloading an illegal copy of a music track from the internet an example of a transnational crime?
Why are some states more likely to fight transnational crime than other states?
What can be done to promote a human security approach to combating transnational crime? How would such an approach be different from present policies?
Do some research on the pirates operating off the coast of Somalia and explain whether their activities fit the definition of transnational crimes. What could be said in their defense?
Occasionally a practice that counts as a transnational crime in terms of state interests seems harmless or even beneficial under a human security perspective. The opposite can also occur: A practice that violates human security might not be considered a transnational crime by current international standards. Find some examples for either.

List of Terms

See Glossary for full list of terms and definitions.

domestic crime
human trafficking
international crime
transnational crime

References

Bali Process. (2016, March 23). Bali declaration on people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime [Declaration]. Sixth Ministerial Conference of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, Bali, Indonesia. https://www.baliprocess.net/UserFile...ime%202016.pdf

Elliot, L. (2007). Transnational environmental crime in the Asia Pacific: An ‘un(der)securitized’ security problem? The Pacific Review, 20(4), 499–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512740701671995

Emmers, R. (2010). ASEAN and the securitization of transnational crime in Southeast Asia. The Pacific Review, 16(3), 419–438. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951274032000085653

Haken, J. (2011). Transnational crime in the developing world. Global Financial Integrity. https://gfintegrity.org/report/brief...ational-crime/

International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition. (n.d.). What is counterfeiting? https://www.iacc.org/resources/about...counterfeiting

International Committee of the Red Cross. (2005, July 12). The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons [Statement]. https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resource...ons-120705.htm

ILO. (2014). Profits and poverty: The economics of forced labour. https://www.ilo.org/global/publicati...MS_243391/lang–en/index.htm

ILO. (2017). Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labour and forced marriage. https://www.ilo.org/global/publicati...MS_575479/lang–en/index.htm

Inter-Parliamentary Union; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2009). Combating trafficking in persons: A handbook for parliamentarians. https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/blog/do...liamentarians/

May, C. (2017). Transnational crime and the developing world. Global Financial Integrity. https://gfintegrity.org/report/trans...eloping-world/

Nadelmann, E. A. (1990). Global prohibition regimes: The evolution of norms in international society. International Organization, 44(4), 479–526. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818300035384

Partin, G. (2015). ASIL electronic resource guide: International criminal law. American Society for International Law. https://ials.sas.ac.uk/eagle-i/asil-...l-criminal-law

UN News. (2011, March 16). Growing links between crime and terrorism the focus of UN forum. https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/03...focus-un-forum

United Nations. (2000, November 15). Penal matters: 12.a. Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Treaty Series, 2237, 319, Doc. A/55/383. https://treaties.un.org/pages/viewde...2-a&chapter=18

UN News. (2007, March 26). UN and partners launch initiative to end ‘modern slavery’ of human trafficking. https://news.un.org/en/story/2007/03...an-trafficking

UNODC. (2002). Results of a pilot survey of forty selected organized criminal groups in sixteen countries. http://www.unodc.org/pdf/crime/publi...lot_survey.pdf

UNODC. (2009). Global report on trafficking in persons. http://www.unodc.org/documents/human...ort_on_TIP.pdf

UNODC. (2013). Transnational organized crime in east Asia and the Pacific: A threat assessment. https://www.unodc.org/documents/data...TA_EAP_web.pdf

Bibliography

Centre for Information & Research on Organised Crime. (2020, August). CIROC newsletter. http://www.ciroc.nl/en/newsletter.html

Einstein, S., & Amir, M. (Eds.). (1999). Organized crime: Uncertainties and dilemmas. Office of International Criminal Justice.

European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control; United Nations. (2020, May 15). HEUNI publications. https://www.heuni.fi/en/index/publications.html

International Labour Organization. (n.d.). Domestic workers. https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/ca...c-workers/lang–en/index.htm

Kleemans, E. R. (Ed.). (2015). Financial aspects of organized crime [Special issue]. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 21(2). https://link.springer.com/journal/10...nd-issues/21-2

Plecher, H. (2020). Global gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices from 2009 to 2021 (in billion international dollars). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/...c-product-gdp/

Schar School Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center. (n.d.). Publications listing. http://traccc.gmu.edu/publications-r.../publications/

Shelley, L. I. (2018). Dark commerce: How a new illicit economy is threatening our future. Princeton University Press.

Siegel, D. (2016). Ethnicity, crime and sex work: A triple taboo. In D. Siegel & R. de Wildt (Eds.), Ethical concerns in research on human trafficking (pp. 71–83). Springer.

Siegel, D., Bunt, H., & Zaitch, D. (Eds.). (2003). Global organized crime: Trends and developments. Springer.

Siegel, D., & de Wildt, R. (Eds.). (2016). Ethical concerns in research on human trafficking. Springer.

UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking. (2008, February 13–15). 011 workshop: Human trafficking for the removal of organs and body parts [Background paper]. Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking, Vienna, Austria. http://www.unodc.org/documents/human...alofOrgans.pdf

UN Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organ...e-parties.html

UNODC. (n.d.). Emerging crimes. http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organi...ng-crimes.html

UNODC. (2000). United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organ...tro/UNTOC.html

UNODC. (2010). World drug report 2010. http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-a.../WDR-2010.html

UNODC. (2011). Smuggling of migrants: A global review and annotated bibliography of different publications. https://www.unodc.org/documents/huma...bal_Review.pdf

Footnote

See Article 3, Protocol To Prevent, Suppress And Punish Trafficking In Persons, Especially Women And Children, Supplementing The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000. https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/protocoltraffickinginpersons.aspx (accessed 5 Sept 2019)
Editors’ note: To our knowledge it has not been established whether illicitly traded arms cause more harm than legally traded ones. In fact, the ethical difference between the two categories appears rather questionable.
AFP News Services. (2011, March 17). Police Rescue 230 Children as 184 Nabbed in Global Paedophile Ring. Sydney Morning Herald.
Estimates on the global drug trade.
For the assessment of the influence of globalization on crime, and appreciation of organized crime in Eastern Europe, South Africa, China, Japan, Italy, Israel, Austria, the U.S. and Colombia.
For a critical assessment of the war on drugs and an overview of human trafficking, plus ten case studies.