Lesson 1: What is organized crime

When we think of crime, we tend to focus first on petty theft—phone snatching, house robberies, theft of livestock, or the occasional cash-in-transit heist which makes news headlines. However, we rarely connect these concerns to other forms of criminality such as the forced enslavement of people, the embezzlement of public funds, the poaching of wildlife for their skins and horns, or practices such as paying road “taxes” or protection fees to criminal networks. We don’t make the connection between the widespread corruption that affects many of our institutions to enabling human trafficking and smuggling or the trafficking of goods.

Beneath petty crime lies a far more disturbing reality which we are not quick to comprehend: the existence and expansion of organized criminal markets. These criminal markets thrive through a range of illicit activities. Across the continent, human trafficking continues to pose a serious challenge, while the synthetic drugs trade has been measured to be increasing. Financial crimes are endemic, undermining economic stability and governance. These criminal markets are enabled by various factors including social and economic factors, further revealing how deeply rooted these issues are.

Organized crime affects us all—it impairs civil and political rights, hinders economic, social, and cultural rights, and leaves victims without access to justice. Its impact stretches far beyond the immediate victims, undermining governance, eroding trust in institutions, and stifling development. This is why it is imperative that we all understand the concept of organized crime; its scope and impact in Africa and, more importantly, develop actionable solutions to combat it.

This lesson aims to create a foundation for understanding the concept of organized crime. It will explore the fundamental characteristics of organized crime - its nature, operations and social embeddedness. By the end of this lesson, participants will be able to understand the debates around definitions of organized crime, how understandings have evolved, and why it matters that a definition is in place. Participants will be able to apply the discussion to their local context and identify the parameters of the illicit economy evolving in their context.