South Asia

The South Asian region – comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – is a hub of irregular and regular migration flows. Widespread news coverage of Indian and Nepalese migrants illegally entering the United States through Guatemala and Mexico (Irfan, 2012; Wells, 2013), and Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants roaming in Kuala Lumpur to make their way to Australia for seeking asylum (ABC, 2015) are some of the examples of what irregular migration looks like in the region. While all forms of irregular migration may not involve smuggling, most cases of irregular migration from and to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are undertaken with the assistance of migrant smugglers (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2015). The dynamics of irregular migration in the region is largely rooted in political conflicts, ethnic violence, economic disparities, deep poverty and food insecurity. Nevertheless, it also reflects the aspirations of relatively educated and wealthy individuals and families to settle in “western” developed countries.

Related Subject(s): Drugs Crime and Terrorism