Unveiling the Shadows: Understanding Social and Demographic Awareness of Migrant Smuggling in Pakistan

Abstract

Migration as a social issue has gained importance for the government and the people. Illegal migration has caused thousands of people to die due to unawareness of its consequences. Therefore, the present study highlights the socio-economic determinants of awareness of migrant smuggling by taking data from 660 people from Punjab, Pakistan. The paper has made use of descriptive analyses and ordered logit regression analysis to determine the awareness level. The findings of the study have found a significant impact of education, people living in urban areas, people from high social classes, frequency of information, and source of information from peer groups, social media and newsletters on the level of awareness. The study recommends that increasing the level of awareness requires an active role for state agencies and civil society. The government can make use of media, especially electronic media, to launch information campaigns and rapidly transfer knowledge to the general public.