(The economy of transit migrants and asylum seekers in Indonesia and Libya)

Faced with increasingly restrictive border protection measures, such as Australia’s “Operation Sovereign Borders” and externalised border controls in “Fortress Europe”, more asylum seekers and refugees attempt to reach their destinations by unauthorised means. Smuggling networks, funds to pay for journeys, and access to transit sites where onward passage can be negotiated, are critical to the success of irregular migration. This article explores access to transit sites by comparing Indonesia and Libya – two key transit locations for people seeking to reach Australia and Italy respectively. It investigates practices in such sites and focuses on the exploitation of transit migrants, especially on the economic benefit they bring to smugglers, corrupt officials, and locals. Through analysis of the unintended consequences of border protection measures, it argues that while the economics of exploitative transit are unique to each country, in both Indonesian and Libya they operate to encourage informal networks that prey on transit migrants. Increased understanding of the economics of exploitative transit should help ensure a more protective environment for transit migrants, one that reduces their reliance on irregular means and the risk of getting stuck in unsafe environments. If the reality of exploitative transit is acknowledged, steps can be taken to reduce reliance on transit sites