{"id":243398,"date":"2023-09-04T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=243398"},"modified":"2023-09-02T04:29:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T03:29:14","slug":"hundreds-of-thousands-trafficked-into-online-criminality-across-se-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/09\/hundreds-of-thousands-trafficked-into-online-criminality-across-se-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of Thousands Trafficked into Online Criminality Across SE Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Organised crime groups are forcing hundreds and thousands of people into online criminality. \u00a9 Unsplash\/John Schnobrich<\/p><\/div>\n

29 Aug 2023 – Criminal<\/span> gangs in southeast Asia are using torture and abuse to force hundreds of thousands of people into an online scam operation which generates billions of dollars per year, the UN rights office (OHCHR) <\/span>said today<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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OHCHR<\/a> said that at least 120,000 people across Myanmar and another 100,000 in Cambodia may be held in situations where they are forced to execute lucrative online scams – from illegal gambling to crypto fraud.<\/p>\n

Other States including Lao PDR, the Philippines and Thailand have also been identified as main countries of destination or transit.<\/p>\n

Victims, not criminals<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cPeople who are coerced into working in these scamming operations endure inhumane treatment while being forced to carry out crimes,\u201d said UN rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk.\u00a0\u201cThey are victims. They are not criminals,\u201d he insisted.<\/p>\n

The latest OHCHR report<\/a> sheds new light on cybercrime scams that have become a major issue in Asia, with many workers trapped and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.<\/p>\n

The report notes workers face a range of serious human rights\u00a0violations, and many have been subjected to abuses such as\u00a0torture, arbitrary detention, sexual violence and forced labour.<\/p>\n

Victims of such operations can be scammed an average of $160,000 each, often through sophisticated scripts sent via unregulated social media\u00a0applications.<\/p>\n

According OHCHR, these victims come from across the ASEAN region as well as mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, South Asia and even further afield from Africa and Latin America.<\/p>\n

Mr. T\u00fcrk called on States to ensure justice \u201cfor the people who have been so horrifically abused.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hundreds of thousands of people are being forcibly engaged by organised criminal gangs into online criminality in Southeast Asia \u2013 from romance-investment scams & crypto fraud to illegal gambling \u2013 a report issued today by UN Human Rights shows: https:\/\/t.co\/85UUa0Ev0j<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xr4rF76rwo<\/a><\/p>\n

— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) August 29, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n