SE Asia cyberscam human trafficking risks
Video interview with Global South World
I was glad to have the chance to speak with Believe Domor of Global South World about the dangers faced by young educated Africans taking up job offers in Southeast Asia which in fact are a path into cyberslavery.
The video and the Global South World writeup can be found here: https://shorturl.at/S0ajk
Key takeaways:
-Cyberscam compounds in countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar operate with government complicity. They now operate using the victims of human trafficking from a wide range of countries, including many in Africa, where English is spoken.
-The traffickers are not going to tell you that you are going to work in Cambodia and Myanmar as many people understand that these are dangerous places. Much more likely they will say that the job is in Thailand. Numerous victims have found themselves transferred across the border from Thailand to their final destination: a sealed cyberscam compound in Cambodia or Myanmar.
-The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) is holding its summit in Cambodia in 2026. This risks sending a dangerous signal in African participant countries that Cambodia is a safe place to go and do business. The OIF should at least ensure that member states are fully aware of the evidence of government complicity in organized cybercrime in Cambodia.
-If the OIF summit goes ahead, Cambodian civil society should be allowed to participate – without fear of government retribution.