The Geneva Council For Rights & Liberties expresses grave alarm at the deepening humanitarian and human rights crisis unfolding in Southeast Asia, where hundreds of thousands of individuals are trafficked and forced into cyber-enabled criminality in scam compounds. Drawing on the latest United Nations joint statement, as well as recent reports and expert commentary, we call for immediate, coordinated, and rights-based international action to address this industrial-scale exploitation, which is rapidly evolving into a global security and governance threat.
Scale and Nature of the Crisis
- Victimization on an Industrial Scale:
The United Nations estimates that hundreds of thousands of people from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas are currently trapped in scam compounds across Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Many are lured via social media, deceived by false job offers, and then trafficked into forced labor and criminality. - Brutal Conditions and Abuse:
Victims are systematically deprived of liberty, subjected to torture, beatings, electrocution, solitary confinement, and sexual violence. They endure cramped, unsanitary living conditions, with limited access to food and clean water. Some are sold between scam operations or ransomed back to their families. Attempts to escape are often met with severe punishment or death. - Global Expansion and Adaptation:
Crackdowns in one area merely displace operations elsewhere. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warns that these syndicates are now expanding into Africa, South America, South Asia, and the Pacific, with scam centers emerging in new jurisdictions as a hedging strategy against enforcement. The Myawaddy area of Myanmar alone reportedly hosts around 40 scam compounds and up to 300,000 scammers.
Economic and Political Impact
- Staggering Financial Scale:
Southeast Asia’s scam industry is now estimated to generate between $40 billion and $43.8 billion annually, according to UNODC and independent analysts. The global reach of these operations is further evidenced by an estimated $3 trillion in annual illicit flows from high-tech fraud factories worldwide. - Corruption and State Capture:
The illicit profits from scam centers fuel corruption at every level—bribes to border officials, collusion with politicians, and the financing of militias and criminal groups. The 2024 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report documents regular and increasing reports of military, police, and local official complicity, particularly in Myanmar and Thailand.
A high-profile case in the Philippines saw ex-mayor Alice Guo removed from office over ties to illegal gambling and scam operations, highlighting the political reach of these syndicates. - Threat to Governance and Rule of Law:
The injection of illicit funds undermines democracy, distorts policymaking, and entrenches lawlessness. The UNODC describes the situation as a “cancer” spreading through the region, with sophisticated syndicates exploiting regulatory, legal, and fiscal loopholes to evade detection and prosecution.
Technology and Infrastructure
- Advanced Criminal Ecosystem:
Scam operations are increasingly professionalized, leveraging generative AI, encrypted communications, unlicensed payment processors, and cryptocurrency exchanges to evade law enforcement and launder proceeds.
Companies such as Huione Guarantee (now Haowang) in Cambodia have been identified as key platforms for sourcing technology and infrastructure for these operations. - Exploitation of Global Technologies:
Satellite internet, notably Starlink, has been exploited by scam centers to circumvent local internet controls and reach global victims. Between November 2024 and February 2025, over 40,000 Starlink logins were traced to scam centers on the Myanmar-Thailand border.
Thai lawmaker Rangsiman Rome publicly called on Elon Musk and SpaceX to intervene, underscoring the need for corporate accountability in stemming technological abuse by criminal actors.
Humanitarian and Human Rights Emergency
- Humanitarian Crisis at Borders:
The 2025 earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand has exacerbated the crisis, leaving thousands of released victims stranded in inhumane conditions at the Myanmar-Thailand border. The UN has called for urgent humanitarian assistance, particularly from Thailand and ASEAN, and for countries of origin to provide immediate protection to their nationals. - Inadequate Response and Victim Protection:
Despite ongoing efforts, state measures to identify, protect, and assist victims remain grossly inadequate. The UN experts stress that a victim-centered approach—prioritizing dignity, rights, and long-term, unconditional assistance—is essential. This includes psycho-social, medical, and legal support, as well as accessible services for victims with disabilities. - Shrinking Civic Space:
The lack of freedom of expression and shrinking civic space in the region hampers victim protection and access to justice. Whistleblowers, journalists, and NGOs face reprisals, further entrenching impunity.
Geneva Council’s Recommendations
The Geneva Council For Rights & Liberties echoes the UN experts and leading human rights organizations in demanding:
- Immediate, Coordinated, Rights-Based Action:
States, especially in Southeast and East Asia, must act urgently and collectively to dismantle scam centers, protect victims, and prosecute perpetrators at all levels. - Full Application of the Non-Punishment Principle:
Victims must not be criminalized for offenses committed as a direct result of being trafficked, under either immigration or criminal laws. - Voluntary and Dignified Repatriation:
The return of trafficking victims must be strictly voluntary, safe, and in line with the principle of non-refoulement. Long-term, unconditional residence permits should be granted to those unable to return home. - Corporate Accountability:
Technology providers, financial institutions, and business operators must be held accountable for facilitating scam operations, whether knowingly or through negligence. - Addressing Root Causes:
Governments must tackle the drivers of trafficking—poverty, lack of decent work, limited education and health access, and restricted migration pathways—while strengthening online information integrity. - Strengthened International Cooperation:
Law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and financial institutions must coordinate across borders, with robust procedural safeguards and victim protections. ASEAN’s ongoing development of guidance on the Non-Punishment Principle is a welcome step, but must be matched by concrete action. - Empowering Civil Society:
States must ensure that media, human rights defenders, and NGOs can operate freely and safely, exposing abuses and advocating for victims without fear of reprisal.
The forced criminality crisis in Southeast Asia’s scam centers is a rapidly metastasizing threat to human rights, global security, and the rule of law. It is both a humanitarian emergency and a test of the international community’s resolve to uphold justice and dignity for all. The Geneva Council For Rights & Liberties stands in solidarity with the victims and calls for an immediate, coordinated, and rights-based response to dismantle this criminal ecosystem and restore hope and justice to those affected.
