Human Trafficking in Mexico: Data sources, Network Analysis and the Limits of Dismantling Strategies

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the human trafficking network on Mexico's southern border using social network analysis, revealing its structure and evaluating dismantling strategies to disrupt the criminal organization.

Contribution

It introduces a network abstraction of human trafficking in Mexico and assesses the effectiveness of different dismantling algorithms based on network topology.

Findings

The network is moderately centralized with medium density.

Removing moderately connected actors is more effective than targeting most connected nodes.

Dismantling strategies have limited success due to network structure.

Abstract

Human trafficking is a heartless crime that represents the second most profitable crime in the world. Mexico's geographical position makes it a country with high levels of human trafficking. Using the snowball sampling method, the major contribution of this paper is the abstraction of the human trafficking network on the southern border of Mexico. Based on a social network analysis, it is identified that the criminal network is moderately centralized (44.32%) and with medium density (0.401). Therefore, the network has minimal cohesiveness and members may find it difficult to share information, money, or products among themselves. To evaluate different dismantling strategies to tackle the criminal organization, three algorithms are evaluated. We found that the first actors to be removed are neither the most connected nor the most peripheral, but the actors who are moderately connected to people of their kind should be removed. In summary, this paper provides a significant step forward to understand quantitatively human trafficking networks and evaluate the limits of dismantling strategies.