Do cryptocurrencies enable and facilitate modern slavery?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ahmad Naheem

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of cryptocurrencies in facilitating operations relating to modern slavery and specifically human trafficking. Over the past decade, law enforcement agencies and intergovernmental organisations have established mechanisms, including financial regulations, to curb and identify such operations. Regulation over conventional financial institutions has greatly aided in identifying cross-border and transregional trafficking operations. However, there remains concern over the role of cryptocurrencies in the modern trafficking enterprise. Design/methodology/approach This paper follows a review of the literature, discussing specific cases that have exposed the role of cryptocurrencies in facilitating human trafficking. This paper first presents a comprehensive discussion on the existing operational mechanism of organisations in human trafficking. Subsequently, it determines the potential use of cryptocurrencies in circumventing detection by law enforcement agencies. Findings This paper finds that existing controls have allowed law enforcement to identify illicit transactions concerning human trafficking through conventional financial institutions. However, the most effective mechanism of identifying such operations is becoming increasingly difficult with the use of cryptocurrencies. Although there are potential solutions to the issues, cryptocurrencies, and the anonymity they offer, have allowed criminal organisations to evade detection using a more active marketplace through the internet. Research limitations/implications Law enforcement agencies and regulators must take into account the nature of cryptocurrencies and the limitations of regulations on such global virtual assets. Instead, this paper’s findings suggest alternate methods, including regulation on exchanges, blockchain use for documentation and investments in detection technologies that allow identification of trafficking operations and forced labour. Originality/value This paper presents existing cases and growing concerns that cannot be quantified in the current circumstance. Further, the paper aims to specifically discuss the role of cryptocurrencies in the existing human trafficking supply chain, offering readers and law enforcement agencies a perspective into criminal organisations’ combination of conventional trafficking operations and modern technological resources. Further, it makes a recommendation to invest in detection mechanisms that are different from the conventional theory based on identification by “following the money”.

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-38
Author(s):  
Kate Garbers

This paper examines the United Kingdom’s approach to prosecutions and convictions of modern slavery and human trafficking offences. It focuses on the UK’s journey and the progress that it has made thus far, from having no legislation by which to tackle this crime to the newly enacted Modern Slavery Act (2015). The paper observes the low numbers of prosecutions leading to convictions as well as the difficulty in effective data collation and recording of trafficking offences. The paper focuses on a non- governmental organisations experience of working with victims and law enforcement agencies, using a sample of seventy four case files to record interactions with the criminal justice process. Further the paper suggests that in order for the Modern Slavery Act (2015) to obtain successful convictions, prosecution should only be seen as part of the solution and not the whole solution. It will only be a successful part of the UK narrative if it is used in conjunction with effective, long-term victim support and prevention efforts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 267-279
Author(s):  
ANETA ŁYŻWA

The article is devoted to the issue of human trafficking in legal and criminological terms, with particular emphasis on the exploitation of victims of the crime for work or forced services. The author introduces the essence of forced labour by reaching for many of its legal definitions contained in legal acts in the rank of conventions, as well as ordinary laws. At the same time, it highlights the factors that characterize the type of work indicated and allow to distinguish it from other types of violations, including violation of employee rights. The phenomenon of human trafficking is shown through the prism of its current evaluation tendencies, both globally and regionally (European, and especially EU). To this end, the author presents statistical data collected in recent years by, inter alia, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the European Commission. She emphasizes, however, that the actual scale of the aforementioned crime remains unknown. A significant part of the discussion focuses on the issue of human trafficking in modern Poland, showing the scale of the dealings in question, diagnosed in recent years by law enforcement agencies. A lot of attention is also paid to the spectrum of crime threats on the Polish labour market from the perspective of foreigners. Thus, with particular care, she considers the problem of violating the employment rights of Ukrainian citizens as the largest group of foreigners illegally employed in Poland. She also shows the legal situation in this area of the citizens of Belarus, Moldova, India and Russia. She discusses this issue in the context of activities of the National Labour Inspectorate included in the audit report for 2017. The author further scientific interest includes the issue of criminalization of human trafficking in selected countries around the world. In this respect, it refers primarily to legal regulations contained in the Latvian, Hungarian, Swiss, Finnish, Ukrainian and Liechtenstein penal codes. The author’s ambition was to present the indicated issues in a concise manner, while also taking into account its most important aspects.


Author(s):  
Ruslan Ahmedov ◽  
Yuliya Ivanova

In 2020, the 75th anniversary of the Victory of the soviet people is celebrated over fascism. An important role in achieving this result in the conditions law enforcement officers also provided wartime assistance. The main purpose of their professional activities was to ensure the implementation of principles of legality.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Maximilian Johannes Teichmann ◽  
Marie-Christin Falker

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how illegally obtained funds are laundered through raw diamonds in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach To identify specific money laundering techniques involving raw diamonds, this study used a qualitative content analysis of data collected from 60 semi-standardized interviews with both criminals and prevention experts and a quantitative survey of 200 compliance officers. Findings Raw diamonds are extraordinarily suitable for money laundering in European German-speaking countries. In particular, they may be used in all three stages of the laundering process, namely, placement, layering and integration. Research limitations/implications Because the qualitative findings are based on semi-standardized interviews, their insights are limited to the perspectives of the 60 interviewees. Practical implications Identifying gaps in existing anti-money laundering mechanisms should provide compliance officers, law enforcement agencies and legislators with valuable insights into how criminals operate. Originality/value While prior studies focus on the methods used by organizations to combat money laundering and how to improve anti-money laundering measures, this paper investigates how money launderers operate to avoid detection, thereby illustrating authentic experiences. Its findings provide valuable insights into the minds of money launderers and combines criminal perspective with that of prevention experts.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman ◽  
Khalid Latif ◽  
Muhammad Mohsin ◽  
Zahid Hussain ◽  
Sajjad Ahmad Baig ◽  
...  

PurposeThe basic intention of this research is to investigate the role of information transparency of financial institutions and psychological attitude of the individuals toward their attention to saving and borrowing. This study also tries to know how an individual's psychological factor affects a person's attitude to motivate them to save or borrow and contribute to well-being by giving them confidence that they can face financial challenges. So, the main concern of this study is to explore different factors that ultimately contribute to the financial well-being (FWB) of individual.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted by using a well-structured questionnaire to collect data and test the developed hypotheses by using SmartPLS. Data were collected from 120 customers of seven different commercial banks in Pakistan.FindingsThe findings of this study show that perceived information transparency positively affects FWB. It is also because transparent shared information creates positive change in individuals' perceived self-efficacy and leads to FWB. Furthermore, an individual's psychological attitude toward borrowing and saving did not contribute to the FWB of people who belong to Pakistan.Research limitations/implicationsThe research area is limited to one city of Pakistan and analysis is done with small numbers of sample, it can be increased and more areas can be explored.Practical implicationsThis research provides significant implications for people and economists by providing awareness about the antecedents of FWB. The policymakers or managers who work in financial institutions should provide more transparent information and create less risky opportunities to improve the individual's well-being. If person, manager and financial institution can properly utilize the information of this study, then they are able to improve their FWB. By providing more transparent services and favorable experience with your dealings, it could help to obtain and retain more loyal internal (employees) and external customers. The loyal customers and sincere employees can increase the productivity level of organization. The more productive organizations in countries means better society and progress in the economy.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the body of knowledge that how perceived information transparency and psychological attitude of borrowing create improvement and upward changes in the FWB of a person.


Resuscitation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth C. Hawkins ◽  
Alan H. Shapiro ◽  
Adrianne E. Sever ◽  
Theodore R. Delbridge ◽  
Vincent N. Mosesso

Author(s):  
S.A. Styazhkina

The article deals with the issues of criminological characteristics of female crime, analyzes the data of official statistics. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the causes and conditions of female crime. The paper substantiates the need to study women's crime, study its causes and conditions. The peculiarities of women's crime are determined by the gender status and the role of women in modern society. In this regard, the article analyzes the social characteristics and psychological characteristics of women in modern Russia. Special attention is paid to the prevention of women's crime. It is proposed to develop a national program for the prevention of women's crime. The program should be comprehensive in nature, and also contain a system of interaction between various bodies and services in the prevention of women's crime, ranging from educational institutions to law enforcement agencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
Doniar Andre Vernanda ◽  
Tony Mirwanto

Immigration law enforcement is carried out by civil servant investigators (PPNS) of Immigration by the mandate of Law No. 6 of 2011 on immigration. Immigration civil servant investigators have the authority to carry out the investigation process to hand over case files for subsequent prosecution in court by the public prosecutor. The results and discussion of this research are: (i) People smuggling is a crime where people illegally enter humans without legal and valid immigration travel documents aimed at personal or group gain by entering a country without going through an examination. immigration at the immigration checkpoint (TPI). Criminal sanctions related to human smuggling are regulated in article 120 of the Immigration Law with a maximum threat of 15 years and a fine of Rp. 1,500,000,000.00. (ii) According to the Immigration Law, pro Justitia law enforcement in immigration crimes is carried out by immigration civil servant investigators who have the duties and functions of carrying out investigations & investigations, coordinating with the National Police and other law enforcement agencies as well as carrying out other matters which are ordered by immigration Law


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document