The submitted thesis focuses on the cooperation of the state and non-governmental non-profit organizations in fighting labour exploitation in the Czech Republic. It is one of the most frequent forms of the human trafficking in the CR. The thesis is based on several theories and concepts, such as the actor - network theory, the institutional theory, the Four "C" theory, the NNO theory or the dignified work concept. The thesis analyses the concept of the policy on labour exploitation in the Czech Republic with a focus on the cooperation of main actors from state and non-profit sectors in fighting labour exploitation and proposes how to improve this cooperation. The thesis defines different relevant terms as well as the term "labour exploitation". It also presents statistical data concerning this phenomenon. An analysis of policy documents on a transnational and national level is used to analyse the policy concept. The thesis also works with a quick analysis of actors and semi-structured interviews with eight experts from public and non-profit sector - specifically with employees of the Asylum and Migration Policy Department of the Ministry of the Interior, the Crime Prevention Department, the State Labour Inspection Office and with social workers of the non-profit organizations La Strada and...

This diploma thesis examined human trafficking in Latin America focusing on child trafficking in chosen countries and showed the importance of prevention. One major key point is to develop more strategies helping youngsters avoid being trapped in human trafficking. Major role is played by parents and teachers who are in daily contact with young people and can help them to develop their critical thinking. Method used in our research include case study approach, more precisely instrumental case study. Using this method, we try to illustrate the phenomena occurring in selected Latin American countries, namely the problem of child soldiers in Colombia, the criadazgo system in Paraguay, Brazil Baby Affair and the problem of illegal adoptions in Brazil, and last but not least, the issue of child sexual exploitation in Venezuela. Since these countries have different experiences and also their will to deal with the issue is distinct, it is not possible to compare their approaches to the problem. Therefore, based on our observations, we have created common factors that may contribute to increasing human trafficking in the region, as well as focusing on the characteristics of society that lead to the primary use of children and women as the main victims of this criminal activity. The aim of the thesis is to...

Over the last four decades organized crime groups, particularly, drug trafficking organizations or drug cartels, have managed to be under the spotlight of the security agendas of American countries such as Colombia and the United States. During the last two decades, however, the global securitization of the drug trafficking issue, has led them to become a major security threat not only for the Americas, but also for Europe and more recently for West African countries. These organizations pose a threat not only to the security of the state, but to the very essence of it, by corrupting and damaging everything they come in contact with at the political, social, economical and even cultural level. This graduate thesis presents an analysis on Latin American drug trafficking organizations or drugs cartels, as they are commonly known, focusing on the cases of Colombian and Mexican drug cartels. By comparing these two case studies, I suggest that today's Mexican drug trafficking organizations have gained their momentum and incommensurable strength by following the footsteps of the big three Colombian drug cartels that existed between the 1980s and 1990s. The first chapter will expose the definitions and concepts surrounding the research of organized crime. In the second and third chapters, both the...

La révolution numérique a favorisé l’apparition d’une nouvelle forme de criminalité : la cybercriminalité. Celle-ci recouvre un grand nombre de faits dont la plupart sont commis à l’aide de stratégies d’ingénierie sociale. Il s’agit d’un vieux phénomène, pourtant mal connu qui, encouragé par l’accroissement de données circulant sur Internet et par le développement de barrières techniques de sécurité, s’est adapté aux caractéristiques de l’univers virtuel pour une exploitation combinée des vulnérabilités « humaines » avec des outils numériques. L’ingénierie sociale transforme les utilisateurs qui deviennent, inconsciemment, facilitateurs des cyberattaques, au point d’être perçus comme le « maillon faible » de la cybersécurité. Les particuliers, les entreprises et les Etats sont tous confrontés au défi de trouver une réponse à ces atteintes. Cependant, les moyens juridiques, techniques, économiques et culturels mis en place semblent encore insuffisants. Loin d’être éradiquée, l’utilisation de l’ingénierie sociale à des fins illicites poursuit son essor. Face au manque d’efficacité de la politique criminelle actuelle, le travail en amont nous apparaît comme une piste à explorer. Savoir anticiper, détecter précocement et réagir promptement face à la délinquance informatique sont alors des questions prioritaires nécessitant une approche plus humaniste, axée sur la prévention et la coopération. Si nous sommes d’accord sur ce qu’il reste à faire, le défi est de trouver le« comment ». / The digital revolution has encouraged the emergence of a new type of criminal activity : cyber-crime. This includes a vast array of activities and offences that often use social engineering techniques. These techniques are old and not widely understood, yet benefit from the increase of data available online and the use of firewalls and other security systems. They have been adapted to work with the Internet and digital technologies in order to exploit the “vulnerabilities” of human psychology. Social engineering targets the user, who often unconsciously, allows access to systems or data, making the user the weakest link in the cyber-security chain. Individuals, companies and governments are all facing the same challenge in trying to solve these issues, utilising current legal, financial, technological and social resources which seem to be insufficient. Far from being eradicated, fraudulent activities that use social engineering continue to increase in prevalence. The inefficiency of current judicial polices forces us to consider alternative strategies upstream. Being proactive, predicting early and reacting quickly to computer related crimes should be the priority of a more humanistic approach which is focused on prevention and cooperation. Although one can agree on the approach ; the challenge is to find out how to implement it.

Summary: The organized youth crime that exists today is a relatively newsocial problem in most parts of our country. Younger people are drawn intothe criminal lifestyle and the phenomenon is an upgoing trend in Sweden,especially in ages between 15-20. In this study we wanted to see how oursociety responds to this phenomenon, in a local context. Our study is done ina municipality with 70 000+ inhabitants.We choose to use a case study as a research method. The empirical datacollected through interviews, with a total of eight respondents affiliated tothe phenomenon. The results given from the interviews shows that there is alack of clarity in how the phenomenon should be handled. We could see thatthe interventions of the problem are still under development. There aredifferent views on who carries what responsibility and which interventionsare most appropriate to these young kids. The schools approach seems to notmatch the target groups needs and their actions can be seen as one of thesocial mechanisms that is enabling the problem.

This is an analysis that aims to measure the extent of Spanish and Dutch law enforcement cooperation on issues of transnational organized crime prevention. As major transit hubs for the international narcotics market, Spain and the Netherlands are of particular interest to Europe as a whole, but also specifically Swedish policy-makers who have highlighted the narcotics trade as a key issue in domestic criminal activity. As Swedish policy-makers discuss new ways to tackle organized crime, to which international criminal mechanisms are a root cause, it is of interest to analyze the extent of international cooperative efforts that are already in place in key countries. This analysis has used the policy cycle model to construct sentence rules in accordance with the method of content analysis to provide a measurement on the extent of cooperative efforts by Spain and the Netherlands with other Eu member states and Europol. This is done by analyzing Reports by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and news-style articles posted by Europol. What has been found is that Spanish and Dutch efforts in cooperative responses are generally extensive, though the kind of participation that Spain and the Netherlands engage in differ. Spain primarily focuses on cooperation between law enforcing agencies, while the Netherlands are providers of vital intel to police operations and wide research into the issue.

Studien syftade till att undersöka förekomsten samt utformningen av samarbeten mellan kriminella nätverk, samt vad dessa aspekter har för betydelse för brottsligheten. Vidare ämnade studien att kvalitativt undersöka de kriminella nätverkens penningtransaktioner till utlandet, samt hur dessa kunde kopplas till tidigare forskning, med avsikt att få en djupare förståelse kring internationell ekonomisk brottslighet. Centralt för detta arbete var det material som undersöktes i form av domslut, med tillhörande förundersökningsprotokoll, gällande valutaväxlingskontoret World Exchange. Den valda metoden social nätverksanalys (SNA) användes för att kartlägga nätverkspositioner och deras relationer. En kvalitativ analys applicerades beträffande de internationella transaktionerna som fördjupades med hjälp av den tillgängliga Encrochatbevisningen. Resultaten visade på att det förekommer en viss grad av gruppöverskridande brottsliga samarbeten - nexus - mellan de studerade nätverken. De mer tongivande nätverken, inom kontexten för transaktionerna inom World Exchange, påvisades även inneha en central position gällande de ekonomiska transaktioner som överfördes till utlandet. / The study aimed to investigate the existence and design of nexus between criminal networks and what significance these aspects have for criminality. Furthermore, the study aimed to qualitatively examine the criminal networks money transactions abroad, and how these could be linked to previous research, with the intention of gaining a deeper understanding of international economic crime. Central to this work was the material examined in the form of verdicts, with accompanying preliminary investigation protocols, concerning the currency exchange office World Exchange. The chosen method Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to map network positions and their relationships. A qualitative analysis was applied to the international transactions that were deepened using the available Encrochats. The results showed that there is a certain degree of cross-group criminal cooperation - nexus - between the studied networks. Additionally, the results exhibited that the more dominant networks, within the context of the transactions within World Exchange, also held a central position regarding the financial transactions transferred abroad.

Violence against civilians has been extensively researched within the field of conflict studies, with scholars like Kalyvas (2006) emphasizing the strategic nature of victimization by armed factions. However, existing literature often overlooks violence beyond civil war settings, prompting this thesis to focus on organized crime's impact on civilian victimization, particularly migrants. Incorporating theory from the field of criminology, the thesis explores how territorial control by criminal actors influences migrant victimization. The study centres on Mexico and collects detailed 2021 data on migrant violence triangulated from various sources. Through a quantitative approach, employing OLS regressions, the analysis examines the interplay between cartel control over territory and violence against people on the move. Contrary to the expectations set forth in the theoretical framework, the findings suggest that higher cartel control correlates with a decrease in violence against migrants. The thesis concludes by emphasizing the significance of extending research beyond civil war contexts and highlights the necessity for further investigation into migrant victimization.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study set out to research the influence of a local non-state actor on the role and authority of the state, in the domestic environment. Accordingly, the research problem focused on the impact of a domestic actor on the association between the state and the society. This study only focused on the state at the level of local government and the impact of one specific actor, organised criminal groups, on social control by the state. Thus, state-society relations were discussed in this context. In order to guide this study, the main and two supportive research questions were stated as follows: What is the impact of organised crime on the social control by the state? What are the power dynamics between local governance, criminal agents and society? Has the state become criminalised at the level of local government, as a result of the activities of organised crime, and if so, to what extent? The state thus functioned as the dependent variable and organised criminal groups as the independent variable. The theoretical foundation of this study was located in state-society relations, and specific reference was given to the work of Migdal (1988) and his analysis of state social control, pyramidal and weblike societies. Furthermore, a neo-pluralist view of the state was followed. A conceptualisation of the criminalisation of the state was provided, as the criminalisation of the state was regarded as one possible impact of organised crime on the state. In order to analyse the criminalisation of the state, a framework was constructed from four main avenues of empirical observation. In order to answer the research questions, a case study research design and a predominantly qualitative methodology was selected. As a case, the City of Cape Town was selected and Manenberg, located on the Cape Flats, as the site for the research. A case study research design created the opportunity to describe the context in detail and to connect the micro level of analysis to the macro level; thus, it provided insight on the research topic that enabled the researcher to expand/build theory. The field research process occurred over a period of three months using a triangulation of methods: Key informant interview, small group discussions and observation with three categories of respondents. These three categories included: Community members of Manenberg, organised criminal groups and agents of local government and local governance. In order to set the stage for the empirical analysis, a contextualisation of the dependent and independent variables were provided. It was stated that there is a lack of a universally agreed upon definition of organised crime, and as a result, a conceptualisation of organised crime was generated for this study. It was further argued that the majority of literature treats organised criminal groups and organised criminal gangs as two separate concepts, despite the fact that there are more similarities than differences. Thus, for the purpose of this study, a conclusion was reached that the difference is inconsequential. The development of organised crime in South Africa and an examination of the historical development of the gangs on the Cape Flats were described. With regards to the dependent variable, the context was provided for an analysis of local government in South Africa. The demographical and operational features of the municipal area of the City of Cape Town were explained, with specific reference to safety and security elements. The primary data collected was analysed according to the indicators of social control (compliance, participation and legitimacy), as identified by Migdal (1988). In addition, the framework to analyse the criminalisation of the state at the level of local government was applied on the case study. Based on the analysis, a different system, to what was described by Migdal (1988) in his narrative of a triangle of accommodation was found to be in operation in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. It was confirmed that there is the presence of a weakened state and accordingly, a weblike society, where social control is fragmented between local government and the criminal community. However, in this weblike society a system of local power dynamics exists between the criminal community, social community and local agents of governance, where dyadic collaboration occurs between all three the actors. However, despite the collaboration, the criminalisation of the state does not occur, but rather the statification of the organised criminal community, as it provides goods and service to the social community. The main findings can be summarised as: If a state lacks extensive social control and a rival authority has claimed a level of social control, this will not necessarily lead to the further weakening of the state, as a result of a system of power dynamics in place, where collaboration between the social community, the criminal community and local agents of governance occurs. This system is kept in place by: On-going efforts by the state to maintain (or regain) compliance, participation and legitimacy; corrupt agents of the state (specifically in the security sector); a level of operational ease that exists for the criminal community (and the interweaving of the criminal community in the social community) and a relatively strong society that acknowledges the benefits of criminal activities for the social community, but also recognises the authority and control of the state. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel om die uitwerking van 'n plaaslike nie-staatsrolspeler op die rol en gesag van die staat in die plaaslike omgewing te ondersoek. Vervolgens fokus die navorsingsvraag op die impak van 'n plaaslike rolspeler op die verhouding tussen die staat en die samelewing. Die studie fokus op die staat op plaaslike regeringsvlak en op die impak van een spesifieke rolspeler, georganiseerde misdaadgroepe. Staat-samelewing-verhoudinge is dus teen hierdie agtergrond bespreek. Om die studie te rig, is die hoof- en twee ondersteunende navorsingsvrae soos volg gestel: Wat is die impak van georganiseerde misdaad op die sosiale beheer van die staat? Wat is die magsdinamiek tussen die plaaslike regeringsvlak, kriminele agente en die samelewing? Is die staat gekriminaliseer op plaaslike regeringsvlak as gevolg van die resultate van georganiseerde misdaadbedrywighede en, indien wel, in hoe 'n mate? Die staat vorm dus die afhanklike veranderlike en georganiseerde misdaadgroepe die onafhanklike veranderlike. Die teoretiese begronding vir hierdie studie is gevind in staat-samelewing-verhoudinge en die werk van Migdal (1988), spesifiek sy analise van staat-sosiale beheer en piramiede- en webvormige samelewings, word genoem. Verder is 'n neo-pluralistiese beskouing van die staat ingeneem. 'n Konseptualisering van die kriminalisering van die staat word verskaf, aangesien dit voorsien is as een moontlike impak van georganiseerde misdaad op die staat. Ten einde die kriminalisering van die staat te ontleed, is 'n raamwerk opgebou uit vier hoofrigtings van empiriese observasie. 'n Gevallestudie is as navorsingsontwerp gebruik om die navorsingsvrae te beantwoord, met hoofsaaklik 'n kwalitatiewe metodologie. As 'n geval is die Stad Kaapstad gekies, met Manenberg op die Kaapse Vlakte as die terrein vir die navorsing. Die gevallestudie-navorsingsontwerp het die geleentheid geskep om die konteks in detail te beskryf en die mikrovlak-analise met die makrovlak-analise te verbind; derhalwe het dit insig verskaf wat die navorser in staat gestel het om teorie (uit) te bou. Die veldwerkproses het oor 'n tydperk van drie maande deur drie metodes plaasgevind: onderhoude met sleutelinformante, kleingroepbesprekings, en observasies met drie kategorieë respondente. Hierdie drie kategorieë is gemeenskapslede van Manenberg, georganiseerde misdaadgroepe, en agente van plaaslike regering en bestuur. Ten einde die empiriese navorsing op te stel, is 'n kontekstualisering van die afhanklike en onafhanklike veranderlikes verskaf. Dit is gestel dat daar 'n gebrek is aan 'n universeel-aanvaarde definisie van georganiseerde misdaad, en as gevolg hiervan is 'n konseptualisering vir hierdie studie gevorm. Daar is verder geargumenteer dat die meerderheid literatuur georganiseerde misdaadgroepe en georganiseerde misdaadbendes as twee aparte konsepte hanteer, ten spyte daarvan dat hierdie groeperinge veel meer ooreenstem as verskil. Vervolgens is die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die verskil nie betekenisvol is nie. Die ontwikkeling van georganiseerde misdaad in Suid-Afrika en 'n ontleding van die historiese ontwikkeling van bendes op die Kaapse Vlakte is beskryf. Rakende die afhanklike veranderlike, is die konteks verskaf vir 'n analise van plaaslike regering in Suid-Afrika. Die demografiese en operasionele kenmerke van die munisipale area van die Stad Kaapstad is uiteengesit, met spesifieke verwysing na veiligheid- en sekuriteitselemente. Die primêre ingesamelde data is ontleed aan die hand van die indikatore van sosiale beheer (nakoming, deelname en legitimiteit) soos deur Migdal (1988) gedefinieer. Verder is die raamwerk om die kriminalisering van die staat op plaaslike regeringsvlak te ontleed, op die gevallestudie toegepas. Op grond van die analise is daar bevind dat 'n ander stelsel as wat Migdal (1988) in sy narratief van ‟n driehoek van akkommodasie beskryf het, in Manenberg op die Kaapse Vlakte voorkom. Dit is bevestig dat daar 'n verswakte staat voorkom en, vervolgens, 'n webvormige samelewing, waar sosiale beheer gefragmenteer is tussen die plaaslike regering en die kriminele gemeenskap. In hierdie webvormige samelewing bestaan egter 'n stelsel van plaaslike magsdinamiek tussen die kriminele gemeenskap, die sosiale gemeenskap en plaaslike regeringsagente, waar diadiese medewerking tussen al drie die akteurs voorkom. Ten spyte van hierdie samewerking, kom die kriminalisering van die staat egter nie voor nie, maar eerder 'n verstaatliking van die georganiseerde misdaadgemeenskap, aangesien dit goedere en dienste aan die sosiale gemeenskap verskaf. Die hoofbevindinge kan soos volg saamgevat word: As 'n staat nie uitgebreide sosiale beheer het nie en 'n mededingende gesag het 'n vlak van sosiale beheer opgeëis, sal dit nie noodwendig lei tot die verdere verswakking van die staat nie, as gevolg van 'n stelsel van magsdinamiek wat in plek is waar medewerking tussen die sosiale gemeenskap, die kriminele gemeenskap en plaaslike agente van bestuur voorkom. Hierdie stelsel word in plek gehou deur aaneenlopende pogings deur die staat om nakoming, deelname en legitimiteit te verkry (of terug te kry), korrupte staatsagente (spesifiek in die sekuriteitsektor), 'n vlak van operasionele gemak wat vir die kriminele gemeenskap bestaan (en die vervlegting van kriminele gemeenskap en die sosiale gemeenskap), en 'n relatiewe sterk samelewing wat die voordele van kriminele aktiwiteit vir die sosiale gemeenskap erken, maar so ook die gesag en beheer van die staat.

This dissertation focuses on the phenomenon of copper cable theft within the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data was collected from literature sources as well as from security professionals combating copper theft. There are five primary objectives in this research: 1. To explore and to describe the extent and the impact of copper cable theft. 2. To gain insight into the profile and the modus operandi of the offender. 3. To evaluate current intervention measures used to combat the copper cable theft. 4. To describe the general factors limiting the success of combating copper cable theft. 5. To recommend probable intervention measures with which to combat copper cable theft. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with responsible security officials of victim stakeholder groups in Gauteng. It was established that copper cable theft is currently a very serious crime that deserves both attention and quick intervention before it does irreparable damage to the utility infrastructure of Gauteng, in particular, and in fact to all these infrastructures in South Africa. / Criminology / M.A. (Criminology)