How to Stop Cybercrime from Sabotaging Emerging Economies

How to Stop Cybercrime from Sabotaging Emerging Economies

Clergy Sexual Abuse Awareness Day US & International - The hope of survivors

Clergy Sexual Abuse Awareness Day US & International

Global Commission on Drugs - Report

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people die globally from preventable drug-related disease and violence. Millions of users are arrested and thrown in jail. Communities all over the world are blighted by drug-related crime. Citizens see huge amounts of their taxes spent on harsh policies which are not working.

But despite this clear evidence of failure, there remains a damaging reluctance across the world to consider a fresh approach. The Global Commission on Drug Policy is determined to help break this century-old taboo. Building on the work of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, our first report – The War on Drugs – demonstrated how repressive approaches to containing drugs have failed.

We called on governments to adopt more humane and effective ways of controlling and regulating drugs. We recommended that the criminalization of drug use should be replaced by a public health approach. We also appealed for countries to test carefully models of legal regulation as a means to undermine the power of organized crime, which thrives on illicit drug trafficking.

Access Report page: Global Commission on Drugs - Report

Pentagon: ​Climate change enables terrorism — RT USA

http://rt.com/usa/pentagon-climate-change-terrorism-294/

One in 14 Women Globally Sexually Assaulted, Study Shows

Globally, one in 14 women aged 15 or older report being sexually assaulted by someone other than an intimate partner, according to new research following high-profile rape cases in India.

Countries in central and southern sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of sexual violence, while south Asian countries have the lowest rates, and the problem is probably underestimated because of under-reporting stemming from stigma, according to scientists led by Naeemah Abrahams from the South African Medical Research Council. Their research was published today in the Lancet medical journal.

The authors made estimates of prevalence of sexual violence in 56 countries through a search of previous research published between 1998 and 2011. Other systematic reviews have shown that non-partner sexual violence can lead to long-term health consequences, particularly mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse, the authors said.

See full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-11/one-in-14-women-globally-sexually-assaulted-study-shows.html

Leaked paper reveals UN split over war on drugs

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/30/un-drugs-policy-split-leaked-paper

Mafia launders dirty money in clean energy - Europol — RT Business

http://rt.com/business/italy-mafia-launder-money-renewables-703/

Pirate Trails: Tracking the Illicit Financial Flows from Piracy off the Horn of Africa

It is estimated that more than US$400 million was claimed in ransoms for pirate acts between April 2005 and December 2012 and 179 ships were hijacked off the coast of Somalia and the Horn of Africa during that time.

Twenty first century Somali Piracy not only creates problems in the region, but also has a global impact. Unchallenged piracy is not only a menace to political stability and a threat to international security, but it also undermines global growth prospects going forward. Up until now, little attention has been paid to tracking and disrupting the financial flows from piracy.

See full Press Release: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTFINANCIALSECTOR/0,,contentMDK:23491862~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:282885,00.html

Fewer women report rape

People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) is concerned that raped women are opting for counselling rather than reporting the crime to the police.

The women's rights organisation says it's worrying that only one in 25 women in the country report being raped. They say the 4.4 % decline in sexual crimes as reported in the past financial year's crime statistics is misleading since rape survivors are choosing not to report the crime.

See full Article: SABC News.com - Fewer women report rape: POWA:Friday 21 June 2013

Global alliance aims to tackle forest crime

Interpol and the United Nations have joined forces to launch an initiative to tackle global forest crime.

Project Leaf will target criminals involved in illegal logging and timber trafficking.

The scheme will also provide support to enforcement agencies in countries with the biggest problems, Interpol said.

See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18354564

Tackling Corruption in a Globalized World

Corruption plays a pivotal role in many of the world’s most pressing issues - from mass poverty in developing countries to the over-exploitation of natural resources to the erosion of trust in political parties. The panel will identify the main drivers of corruption worldwide and assess the current forms of action to control it, including the role of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group. As chairmanship of the G20 passes from Mexico to Russia in 2013, the speakers will outline the ways in which the problems caused by corruption can be addressed and how corruption might ultimately be minimized.

See full Article: http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/187283

EU Organised crime, corruption and money laundering

On 19.02.13, the CRIM Committee held two separate hearings: the first, in the morning, on intelligence and cooperation, and the second, in the afternoon, on specific third country issues in the fight against organised crime, corruption and money laundering. These hearings included, inter alia, contributions from various national criminal police authorities, an exchange of views with the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Myria Vassiliadou, and the presentation of studies on Russian organised crime and Europe's crime-terror nexus.

See full Section: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/crim/home.html

How to clean up the dirty business of money laundering

The crisis and new technologies have made it easier for criminals to launder money despite the current EU directives in place and the best efforts of law enforcement agencies. The Parliament's special committee on organised crime held a public hearing on 12 November to discuss with experts what can be done.

The scope of the problem

Money laundering accounted for 2.7% of the world's gross domestic product in 2009, which equals about $1,600 billion.

Criminals launder their ill-gotten gains in many different ways. For example, it can be through using fictitious transactions, creating false gambling winnings or by taking advantage of online banking services.

See full Article: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/content/20121109STO55249/html/How-to-clean-up-the-dirty-business-of-money-laundering

International raid targets illegal timber trade

Interpol has announced that it arrested nearly 200 people in a wide-ranging international operation against illegal logging and the trafficking of timber.

The three-month effort spanned 12 Central and South American countries, and $8m (£5.2m) worth of timber was seized.

Interpol says the illegal logging trade could be worth up to $100bn world-wide.

See full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-21513855

Insider trading: "No safe haven for those intent on committing abuse"

The financial crisis has called attention to some unsavoury market abuse practices such as traders taking advantage of insider knowledge in order to make an extra euro. But times are changing: the EP's economic and monetary affairs committee supported on 9 October the introduction of jail time for the most serious offenders. British Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy, responsible for steering the legislation through European Parliament, explains why.

It seems that financial regulators can't keep pace with all the innovations that allow firms to profit from dubious practices. How does the market abuse directive remedy the problem?

The real lesson to be learnt from the global financial crisis is the need to focus on putting in place rules and sanctions to prevent crises and not scrambling and reacting after the banks have yet again undermined people’s confidence and trust in the markets.

See full Article: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/content/20121012FCS53542/3/html/Insider-trading-No-safe-haven-for-those-intent-on-committing-abuse

Money-laundering settlements

BRITAIN’S biggest bank, HSBC, has settled a money-laundering probe by American authorities for $1.9 billion.

See full Article: http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/12/focus-1

Breaking the Taboo

Breaking the Taboo - Sir Richard Branson

EU - Delegation visit to Italy: the fight against organised crime

A committee delegation visits Italy on 28-31.10.12 to exchange views with authorities and stakeholders involved in the fight against organised crime. The delegation will meet with national and local interlocutors in Milan, Palermo and Rome, such as anti-mafia prosecutors, the National Bank of Italy, the Parliament's Anti-Mafia Committee, and several NGOs.