"According to a report recently released by the United Nations Human Rights Office, hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia are being coerced by organized criminal groups into engaging in cybercrime activities, including scams involving romance lures, cryptocurrency fraud, and illegal gambling.
The United Nations Human Rights Office published the report on August 29th, stating that in Myanmar alone, there are potentially at least 120,000 people forced into engaging in cybercrime activities, with an estimated 100,000 in Cambodia. Laos, the Philippines, and Thailand, among other Southeast Asian countries, have been identified as major destination or transit countries for trafficking, involving tens of thousands of people. These scam operations generate billions of dollars in revenue each year.
The report indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic and related response measures have had a significant impact on illicit activities throughout Southeast Asia. Public health measures forced many countries to close casinos, prompting operators to shift their operations to less-regulated areas, including conflict-affected border regions, economic zones, and the increasingly lucrative online space. Under these new operating conditions, criminals increasingly target vulnerable migrants who find themselves stranded and unemployed in these countries due to border and business closures.
Criminals use promises of high-paying jobs as bait to recruit individuals into criminal activities. COVID-19 lockdown measures resulted in millions of people being confined to their homes, spending more time online, making them more vulnerable to false recruitment efforts.
The report also notes that victims come from diverse backgrounds, with the majority being male, but also including women and adolescents. Many victims are not citizens of the trafficking source countries and often have good educational backgrounds, professional careers, or even undergraduate and master's degrees, with proficiency in computers and multiple languages. Victims come from various ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and some also hail from China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), South Asia, and even Africa and Latin America.
The report suggests that a comprehensive response strategy is needed to collectively address the international issue of cybercrime. While some Southeast Asian countries have developed legal and policy frameworks related to combatting cybercrime trafficking, they have not yet met international standards to fully address the background and complexity of these cyber scams.
As a result, the United Nations Human Rights Office calls on local governments to strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption to "break the cycle of impunity," curb the rise and expansion of cybercrime enterprises, and ensure protection and fair treatment for those subjected to horrific abuses."
