The Gambia is working with Europe to combat human trafficking

The Gambia is a country of origin and transit on the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands – one of the most dangerous in the world – where networks involved in the smuggling of migrants profit by putting the lives of thousands of people at risk. It is also a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking for the purposes of sexual and labour exploitation, which particularly affects women, girls and boys.

Both crimes often share routes, networks and means, and require a coordinated response from the relevant institutions. To support this response, the European Union is funding the ComPACT Gambia project, which FIAP is implementing in partnership with the Spanish National Police, with the aim of strengthening the Gambian authorities’ capacity to prevent, investigate and prosecute migrant smuggling and human trafficking, improve inter-agency cooperation and raise public awareness.

As part of this project, a course on open-source intelligence (OSINT) has been held for staff from Gambian institutions working on the front line in the fight against human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants.

Staff from institutions such as the Gambia Immigration Department (GID), the Navy, the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP), the Gambia Police Force (GPF) and the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) attended the course, which aimed to improve the capacity of local authorities to detect, investigate and prevent human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants. Furthermore, they have gained an understanding of the importance of international cooperation in tackling transnational crime.

Twenty Gambian officers took part in the course, which adopted a highly practical approach based on real-life cases (searching for and verifying information online, preserving digital evidence and compiling intelligence reports) so that the Gambian institutions themselves can replicate the content.

FIAP continues to work with partners across Europe and Africa to build stronger systems that protect vulnerable populations and dismantle criminal networks.

Open-source intelligence

Open-source intelligence, known as OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), involves gathering, verifying and analysing publicly available information: social media, websites, the media, databases and public records. It is used by police forces, intelligence services, journalists and researchers. It has become essential in the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, as these networks increasingly recruit, advertise journeys and coordinate their activities via the internet. When used effectively, it enables the identification of facilitators, the detection of recruitment activities, an understanding of the structure of the networks and support for investigations, always within a framework that respects human rights and data protection.