COMCRIM

COMCRIM is an interdisciplinary research project conducted by a public-private consortium into crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in and via the Netherlands (ondermijning). Over 28 scholars from more than nine disciplines jointly examine the systemic factors of organized crime. Public and private partners collaborate to detect such crime in unconventional data sources such as banking records, follow the money and discern criminal networks, patterns, and effects. Altogether, our COMCRIM community thereby seeks to ensure proactive, evidence-based interventions that foster resilience of democracy and the rule of law.

COMbatting CRIMes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in a comprehensive and smart manner
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What is COMCRIM?

COMCRIM is an interdisciplinary research project conducted in an innovative public-private research consortium. Together, we study the more systemic factors of crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in and via the Netherlands (rechtsstaat-ondermijnende criminaliteit or, in short, ondermijning). This means a focus on its business model. Hardly any organized crime can be committed without (a) persons, (b) money and (c) infrastructure. Therefore, we focus on (a) human trafficking, (b) money laundering and (c) corruption. All three are organized crimes themselves, and will allow us to detect (a) forced commission of (other) organized crimes, (b) the whitewashing of their criminal proceeds, and (c) their effects of interweaving the under- and upperworld.

For all three crimes, we do proactive crime victim detection in unorthodox data sources such as banking records, follow the money, and discern the criminal networks consisting of perpetrators, victims and facilitators. Based on such data, we model interventions and seek to understand their intended and unintended consequences. Plus we determine both micro, meso and macro level effects such as the triad of perpetrator-victim-facilitator and the impact on the national economy.

Through interdisciplinary research conducted by over 28 scholars, our aim is to develop proactive, evidence-based solutions to foster resilience in democracy and the rule of law. Our collaboration involves 22 diverse agencies, from the private and public sector, including four universities, two applied science organizations, three banks, two intelligence and law enforcement agencies, three NGO, three ministries, three network organizations, as well as a norm-setting body and national rapporteur.

COMCRIM NWO logo's2

When we think of slavery, we think of the past, but human trafficking nowadays ‘enslaves’ more people than at any time in history. In this lecture, Jill Coster van Voorhout (Maastricht University) explains one specific aspect of COMCRIM: how we can detect and prevent more cases of human trafficking. More videos and publications from the other COMCRIM scholars will follow. 

How can we detect undetected victims of human trafficking?

Vacancies

There are currently no vacancies open.

Publications

COMCRIM appearences

Media


Events

 Comparative International Responses to Combatting the Crime of Human Trafficking - Panellist during webinar by the International Criminal Law Committee - June 19th 2024.
 IAS Academy - Workshop on democratic decline and crime - July 2nd 2024.

COMCRIM Project Stakeholders

Politie Academie, CBS, CoMensha, FairWork, La Strada International
ABN Amro, Knab, Rabobank, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid
Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, FIU Nederland, Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, Nationaal Rapporteur Mensenhandel en Seksueel Geweld tegen Kinderen
Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Co van Ledden Hulsebosch Center, OCFL/MFL

COMCRIM Project director and principal investigator

Name, title(s)OrganisationPositionExpertise (in key words)
Ms. mr. dr. drs. J. 
(Jill) E.B. Coster van 
Voorhout 
University of Maastricht, Department of Criminal Law and CriminologyAssociate professor, (inter)national criminal law Criminal law, (international and national) organized crime that undermines the rule of law (‘ondermijning’) with a focus on 
(financial) investigations into (inter and trans)national human trafficking. 

 

COMCRIM Academics

 

Name, title(s) (in alphabetical order)OrganisationPositionExpertise (in key words)
Prof. mr. dr. Suzan van der AaUniversity of Maastricht, Department of Criminal Law and CriminologyProfessorCriminal law, Criminal procedure, Victim rights, Sexual violence, Gender-based violence, Vulnerable victims
Dr. Ana Isabel  Barros Police AcademyLector- Full professorIntelligence, Complex systems, Social network analysis, Organized crime, linking science and practice. 
Prof. dr. Huub O. DijstelbloemUniversity of Amsterdam, IAS and Faculty of Humanities

Scientific Director of the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)

Professor of Philosophy of Science, Technology and Politics

Philosophy of science, Philosophy of technology, Science and technology studies, International security, Evidence- based policy-making. 
Mr. dr. Menno DolmanUniversity of Maastricht, Department of Criminal Law and CriminologyAsssitant ProfessorSubstantive criminal law, Criminal procedure, International criminal law, Law of evidence, Military criminal law
Dr. Yarin EskiVrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Knowledge Hub Security & Social ResilienceAssociate professorPort security, policing, organized 
(drug)crime, arms trafficking, corruption, genocide, ethnography, biography. 
Prof. dr. ing. Zeno GeradtsUniversity of Amsterdam, Faculty of Science; Netherlands Forensic Institute; Co van Ledden Hulsebosch Center, Amsterdam Center for Forensic Science and Medicine (CLHC); and Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). ProfessorNatural sciences and information technology – forensic data sciences. 
Prof. dr. Drona B.D. Kandhai Faculty of Science, Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam, and Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Professor by special appointmentComputational Finance, Complex Adaptive Systems, Systemic risk modeling. 
Prof. dr. Frank P. PijpersStatistics Netherlands, senior methodologist and programme manager of methodological research, & University of Amsterdam, professor by special appointment Korteweg de Vries Institute for Mathematics and Centraal Bureau voor de StatistiekProfessor by special appointmentComplex systems analysis, data analysis and statistics; time series analysis, formal causality testing.
Prof. dr. Martijn 
Scheltema
Erasmus University, Department of private lawProfessorBusiness and human rights, supply chains, artificial intelligence and multi-stakeholder collaboration on business human rights.
Prof. dr. Marcel Worring University of Amsterdam, Informatics InstituteProfessor Multimedia Analytics, Artificial Intelligence.

 

COMCRIM co-funders

 

OrganisationType**SectExpertise (in key words)
Aanjaagteam OndermijningGovernmental organisationGovernmentCrimes that undermine the rule of law, financial focus, evidence-based policy.
ABN AMRO BankBusiness largeFinancial institutionsBank which cooperated in the previous research on human trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation with its 70% success rate. It works under COMCRIM on initially the co-creation of algorithms to detect human trafficking for criminal exploitation. 
KnabBusiness SMEFinancial institutionsBank which focuses initially on the nexus between human  trafficking and migrant smuggling. 
Netherlands Labor Inspectorate  
(NLA) 
Governmental organisation OtherLaw enforcement agency which cooperated in the previous research on human trafficking for labor exploitation with its 70% success rate. It is mandated to criminally investigate and under administrative law hold  surveillance actions. 
RabobankBusiness largeFinancial institutionsBank which will initially focus on human trafficking for sexual exploitation. 

 

COMCRIM Cooperation partners*

 

OrganisationType**SectExpertise (in key words)
Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS)Public knowledge instituteOtherApplied research into complexity science applications (networks) and more ‘classical’ statistical estimation. 
CoMenshaNGOOtherHuman trafficking
FairworkNGOOtherHuman trafficking for labour exploitation
FIU-NederlandGovernmental organisationOtherFinancial intelligence
La Strada InternationalNGOOtherHuman trafficking abroad, i.e. beyond the Netherlands or international human trafficking affecting Dutch or committed by Dutch (corporations) abroad. 
Ministry of Foreign AffairsGovernmental organisationGovernmentInternational orientation on legislation and policy pertaining to ‘ondermijning’, with a focus on human trafficking, cooperation with the financial sector and human rights  due diligence. 
Ministry of Justice and SecurityGovernmental organisationGovernmentNational orientation on criminal law  responses through legislation and policy pertaining to 
‘ondermijning’, including human trafficking, corruption and money laundering. 
Ministry of Social Affairs and EmploymentGovernmental organisationGovernmentNational orientation on criminal law responses to human trafficking for labor exploitation as one form of ‘ondermijning’, including legislation and policy pertaining to this offence and its connections with related corruption and money laundering. 
NEN's standard setting body regarding Artificial IntelligenceFoundationOtherStandard setting regarding Artificial Intelligence
National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against ChildrenOtherOtherHuman trafficking, including human trafficking-related corruption and money laundering, building also on international advice. 
Police academyPublic knowledge instituteOtherApplied research on intelligence analysis and complex systems modelling including computational modelling on ‘ondermijning’, including human trafficking, corruption and money laundering, and financial (criminal) investigations. 
Though as a center of UvA (but to clarify references thereto below), Amsterdam Center for Forensic Science and Medicine, Co Ledden Hulsebosch Center (CLHC)iPublic knowledge instituteScienceForensic sciences
Though as center of UvA (but to clarify references thereto below), Institute for Advanced Study (IAS)ii Public knowledge instituteScienceComplexity science
Though as an initiative by the Public Prosecution Service (OM) together with the National Police and supported by the Ministry of Justice and Security, and thus not as a separate legal entity (but to clarify references thereto below), Organized Crime and Human Trafficking Field Lab (OCFL/MFL) 2020-2023iii OtherOtherOrganized Crime, human trafficking, including human trafficking-related corruption and money laundering.

 

COMCRIM's International Expert Group*

 

Name organisation (in alphabetical order)Host countryTypeSector**Expertise (in key words)
Maastricht University, Prof. Dr. Anna Beckers, Professor of Private Law and Social TheoryThe NetherlandsPublic knowledge instituteLawCorporate social responsibility, legal research, contract law, corporate governance.
Institute ICE on Engineering and (forensic) Computer Science, Mr. Prof. Dr. Bruce Nikkel, Co-Leiter SwitzerlandPublic knowledge instituteScienceDigital forensics and cyber dimensions of subversive organized crime, network forensics and digital forensics, information security, and understanding cyber-criminal activity.
Northeastern University, Mr. Prof. Nikos Passas, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice; CoDirector, Institute for Security  and Public Policy Greece/United StatesPublic knowledge instituteScienceCorruption, illicit financial/trade flows, human trafficking, sanctions, informal fund transfers, remittances, terrorism, white- collar crime, financial regulation, organized crime and international crime. 
George Mason University, Ms. Prof. Louise Shelley, Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Endowed Chair; Director, Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center  (TraCCC); University 
Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government 
United StatesPublic knowledge instituteScienceOrganized subversive crime, human trafficking, money laundering, corruption. 
University of Amsterdam, Prof. Dr. Peter M.A. Sloot, Professor of Complex Adaptive SystemsThe NetherlandsPublic knowledge instituteScienceScience, informatics, complex adaptive systems.

Contact

J.E.B. Coster van Voorhout

Strafrecht en Criminologie

Faculty of Law, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Maastricht University

My office days in C3.319 are Monday – Wednesday; I am available from Utrecht or Amsterdam on Thursday and Friday