international drug abuse and illicit trafficking day.

June 26^th, the international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

Just in case you think this is another holiday, sorry it is not, today is a day that documents two of human shames,

UNODC has decided to work strengthen their legal and technical capacities to prevent and stop the trafficking of people, drugs natural resources and smuggling of migrants.

When we are talking about trafficking we are talking

• Drugs
• Humans
• Money laundering
• Intellectual property
• Arms

And many other things. This becomes very difficult as the approach should be comprehensive yet the current problems are not widely understood.

• First and foremost, in addition to multiproduct, and inter-regional aspects of illicit trafficking a comprehensive approach becomes essential that includes those performed by white-collar middle-class collaborators and help to facilitate illegal activities in the trafficking realm.
• Second one has to be aware if one route is closed the trafficker will look and create another one. Usually remote and ill-governed areas are used for this, which are called as the geographic blind spots by the UN Drugs and crime cell.
• The local population here also tend to fall in with them for it provides economic incentives.

So when we talk of ant trafficking talking about viable alternate economic development becomes important. Particularly in the socio-economic and political blind spots.

The ever-expanding and more sophisticated use of technology by the traffickers is another issue to be considered. These include cell phones, GPS equipment, satellite hook up which helps to commit these crimes.

The cyber world has allowed traffickers in remote areas to steal people’s identity, even though they are half a world away.

Money laundering via banks and corrupt officials, it is only a matter of time before the traffickers hone the technical skill to handle CBRN-related materials, result in a growth in the trade of these key components of weapons of mass destructions.

To handle these inputs from a wide array of public- and private sector technology becomes important. Public- private initiatives with institutional collaboration would give leverage in discovering how the anti-trafficking community leverages technology and it would also help to detect and disrupt smuggling related crimes. Provided that there is sharing of information between the anti-trafficking work groups.

This becomes important in tracking  trafficking routes, the products and the services trafficked.  Many steps have been taken in this regard, but it becomes very essential for the law enforcing body to blend boundaries and work as a team.

If any of though June 26^th the international anti drug abuse and illicit trafficking day was a holiday, please, this is a day when we acknowledge two of the biggest shames of humanity.