OSCE side event highlights whole-of-society approaches to preventing youth recruitment into organized crime

On 29 September 2026, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) hosted a side event on the margins of the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, bringing together 40 participants to discuss emerging trends in the recruitment of children and young people into organized crime and effective approaches to prevention. The event was organized in co-operation with the Permanent Missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the OSCE, UN and other international organizations in Vienna, Germany, Kyrgyzstan and Switzerland.

Across the OSCE area, organized crime groups are increasingly targeting young people for recruitment. They are exploited to transport and sell drugs, and even to commit violent offences. Policymakers, practitioners and young people participating in the side event discussed recruitment trends and risk factors, including the growing role of social media. Preliminary findings of the new OSCE study The use of social media for youth recruitment into organized crime show that online recruitment is increasingly strategic and targeted, with criminal networks using youth-tailored language, gamification and peer-to-peer approaches to identify and engage vulnerable young people. 

“It takes joint action by law enforcement, social and educational services, and civil society, identifying at-risk youth early and offering credible alternatives before criminal networks reach them,” said Bernardo Stadelmann, Vice-Director of the Federal Office of Justice and Head of the Criminal Law Division at the Federal Department of Justice and Police of Switzerland.

Participants exchanged views on how to address these emerging challenges and shared good practices for prevention. They highlighted the importance of fostering trust and co-operation among law enforcement, education and social services, civil society, and young people themselves to address root causes of recruitment. Discussions further explored how technology and social media can be used to support prevention and awareness-raising efforts.

“When it comes to prevention, children and young people should not only be seen as beneficiaries of prevention efforts; their experiences and perspectives can help us design measures that actually reach those at risk,” stated Rüdiger Bohn, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations in Vienna, Chair of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in his opening remarks.

“The OSCE is proud to support participating States in strengthening early identification of youth at risk of recruitment and enhancing interagency co-operation. As social media becomes an increasingly important recruitment channel, we look forward to publishing new research to help policymakers better understand evolving threats and design effective prevention responses,” said Alena Kupchyna, Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats in her closing remarks.  

The event drew on lessons learnt from the OSCE extrabudgetary project “Enhancing youth crime and drug use prevention through education on legality and awareness campaigns addressing threats of organized crime and corruption”, jointly implemented by the OSCE TNTD and OCEEA.