TRANSNATIONAL CRIME INNOVATION: HOW HUMAN TRAFFICKING NETWORKS ADAPT TO MIGRATION POLICIES – THE NORTH MACEDONIAN RESPONSE DURING THE EVERLASTING EUROPEAN MIGRANT CRISIS
Abstract
This article examines how transnational organised criminal networks involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling have adapted to changing migration policies and border control regimes along the Western Balkan route, with a focus on North Macedonia as a key transit country. Using criminological theory, legal analysis, and longitudinal data, the study covers the period from the 2015 migrant crisis to 2024. The findings show that criminal groups have evolved into flexible, network-based structures marked by route diversification, technological innovation, and polycriminal activity. Restrictive migration policies and border closures have not reduced irregular migration but have reshaped criminal opportunity structures, increasing reliance on smuggling services and blurring the line between smuggling and trafficking. Persistent institutional difficulties in identifying trafficking within mixed migration flows continue to undermine victim protection. The article concludes that effective responses require stronger victim-centred identification practices alongside border control and enforcement measures.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/TEME260202029K
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