Some 260 workers from 19 countries have been released from human trafficking “scam compounds” in Myanmar, reports International Justice Mission (IJM) Thailand, a Christian non-governmental legal rights organization — with hundreds more expected to be released from other compounds in the near future.
Scamming complexes are known for forcing trafficking victims into work under gruelling conditions, alongside suffering physical violence and ongoing surveillance, according to a Feb. 25 update by IJM Australia on LinkedIn.
An IJM Thailand report says that ethnic militias freed the victims in the south eastern town of Myawaddy in Myanmar before handing them over to Thai authorities near Mae Sot, on the border of the two countries.
“This is the beginning of one of the largest releases of victims from the scam compounds in Myanmar, with hundreds or thousands expected to be freed in the coming weeks. We’re grateful for the Thai government and the non-profit organizations we partner with, who have been working tirelessly to support survivors of forced labor in online scam operations,” said Andrew Wasuwongse, Country Director of International Justice Mission (IJM) Thailand.
IJM Thailand worked with Thai authorities and local non-profit organizations to mobilize a team of workers to aid the victims on Saturday morning, Feb. 22.
This included identifying the workers as trafficking victims by supporting Thai Government multi-disciplinary teams and helping to provide translation services. 258 victims were identified at the time of publication, under Thailand’s National Referral Mechanism.
Wasuwongse also commended the Thai Government’s “decisive action” in cracking down against the scam compounds. This includes cutting off the supply of electricity on the Thai-side of the compounds and the internet link to the properties used by the gangs in Myanmar.
“We urge the Thai government to maintain the electricity and internet cuts and expand enforcement to include likely illegal internet connections, including the use of internet signal repeaters,” he added.
“These actions will strengthen Thailand’s commitment to cracking down on the criminal scam syndicates that have been operating with impunity for too long."
The rescued victims came originally from countries across Asia and Africa, including the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and as far away as Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Brazil.
Trafficking victims, numbering in their thousands, are enticed to the scam centers by traffickers falsely promising high salaries, according to IJM Thailand. These “jobs” are depicted as white-collar roles in Bangkok or the nearby region but the victims are forced to cross the border into Myanmar and exploited in hard working conditions.
IJM’s offices in Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia work with government agencies and embassies to rescue and care for survivors, alongside supporting cross-border investigations into the human trafficking networks. 500 individuals have been helped since 2021.
