EUR-Obs

Child soldiers of Europe: Why is organized crime increasingly recruiting minors?

...On the evening of 15 January 2025, a masked 15-year-old gunman entered a Turkish restaurant in Hamburg, Germany, and opened fire on a 49-year-old man. The shooter fled the scene, pursued by the victim...

Posted on 26 Jun 2025

Author(s): Daniel Brombacher, Ruggero Scaturro

Global Organized Crime Index, APA-Obs

Beyond legacy weapons: South East Asia’s illicit arms trade is diversifying 

...Arms trafficking in South East Asia has diversified considerably in recent years, moving beyond the legacy weapons from past conflicts that have long saturated the region, and increasingly intersectin...

Posted on 25 Jun 2025

Author(s): Michael E. Picard

Gold Watch, AR-Obs

Illegal mining and gold supply chains in Ecuador

A golden crisis

...In recent years, Ecuador’s gold sector has transformed dramatically. Once a largely informal livelihood, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has evolved into a criminally exploited industry...

Posted on 25 Jun 2025

Author(s): Marcena Hunter

Crime & Conflict, EAS-Obs

Crossing the line: Will Lithuania’s ICJ case against Belarus set a precedent for state accountability in human smuggling? 

...On 19 May 2025, Lithuania filed a case against Belarus at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of breaching the UN Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migra...

Posted on 18 Jun 2025

Author(s): Maria Khoruk

ESACD, ESA-Obs

ESACD – Final report and action plan

ESACD - Final report and action plan

...The Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD) was formally launched in 2023 to address the serious and multifaceted challenges arising from the escalating illicit drug trade in the regio...

Posted on 16 Jun 2025

APA-Obs

Flying under the radar: How airports and airlines could be vital partners in combating the cyber scam industry

...The growth of cyber scam centres around the world is fuelling a global human trafficking crisis on a scale and organizational complexity rarely seen since the height of the transatlantic slave trade. ...

Posted on 12 Jun 2025

Author(s): Lindsey Kennedy, Nathan Paul Southern

Eco-Solve

Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade: Focus on the maritime and marine dimensions

Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade:

...The last decade and a half have seen an alarming surge in illegal wildlife trade (IWT) on the internet. However, a dearth of data regarding the scale of the market, its dynamics, operations and ramifi...

Posted on 11 Jun 2025

Crime & Conflict, Geocriminality, EAS-Obs

Trouble at home: Russia’s looming demobilization challenge

Trouble at home:

...Russia is facing a growing security threat from within. The return of tens of thousands of veterans from the Russo-Ukrainian war, including a large number of convicted criminals, is triggering a surge...

Posted on 10 Jun 2025

Author(s): Mark Galeotti