Countries must work together against forced criminality for online scamming, says report
The UNODC calls for a coordinated response to trafficking by crime groups in Southeast Asia, research organizations win awards to support counter-trafficking interventions, and Anti-Trafficking Review looks at the impacts of COVID-19 on migrant workers.
A new policy report on trafficking in persons for forced criminality in Southeast Asia issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) calls for a stronger response to the issue, with greater regional cooperation and a focus on criminal justice measures that hold perpetrators to account. There is an urgent need to address complex criminal operations and corruption, and apply pressure on states to enhance efforts to tackle high-risk businesses that facilitate online scams and associated human trafficking and money laundering, the authors say.
The report makes explicit the connection between online scams, trafficking in persons for forced criminality, and organized crime. Crime groups have taken advantage of existing casino infrastructure in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, and the unemployment exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, to set up well-functioning online scam and fraud operations that use trafficked people to facilitate financial crimes, it says. There is a clear operational plan for recruiting victims, committing scams and fraud, and laundering the proceeds of crime.
Thus far, however, responses have been ad hoc and have failed to dismantle organized crime groups, the report says. Attempts to combat this form of trafficking more comprehensively and strategically have been limited in scope, mainly focusing on domestic operations to identify and dismantle networks running specific compounds in just a few countries across the region. This allows networks to quickly regroup and shift operations into areas in which they believe they will not be held to account. In fact, the groups operate in a remarkably open way, linking their illicit activities to both legal and illegal entertainment establishments and registered companies, and in some cases developing alliances with local business leaders and officials.
Efforts to investigate and prosecute organized crime group members have also been inadequate, say the authors. There are few joint investigations between countries of origin and destination, and raid operations conducted to identify and secure the release of thousands of potential victims have had limited impact on the operations of the groups, which continue to tap into a supply of new victims while benefiting from protection provided to their criminal enterprise by domestic legislation or law enforcement.
Despite the efforts of government agencies (especially in victims’ countries of origin), diplomatic missions, NGOs, international organizations, and private sector organizations to coordinate responses, improve information sharing, and implement prevention activities, the scam compounds continue to expand. Profits of organized crime groups in the region have reached unprecedented levels, and illicit money is increasingly moving through the regional casino industry and other large cash flow businesses, including through a surge in the use of cryptocurrencies. The scam industry in one country in the region alone is estimated to generate between US$7.5 and $12.5 billion, reaching half the value of that country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the report says. New scam compounds are being built in the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other countries, and existing compounds in Myanmar are rapidly expanding in size.
In tandem with the publication of the report, officials from ASEAN, China and UNODC announced the development of a strategic plan to address the issue, including measures to improve preventive responses, the identification of victims, and the capacities of law enforcement and criminal justice officials to investigate and cooperate with other stakeholders. Furthermore, public awareness is increasing, with economic consequences for the countries involved, leading to the hope that greater attention and resources will be forthcoming as a result. The UNODC report offers a number of policy recommendations which it suggests should be implemented as quickly as possible, relating to legal and policy frameworks, identification and release of victims, victim protection and repatriation, investigation and prosecution, prevention, and greater regional cooperation.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
The UN Security Council last week decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, its prior authorization allowing member states to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast when there are reasonable grounds to believe they are participating in acts of migrant smuggling and human trafficking. According to Malta’s representative, the resolution is designed to send a powerful message to those who profit from migrant suffering, and to prioritize the human rights and needs of migrants and refugees.
The new Special Issue of Anti-Trafficking Review delves into the profound socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers, both internal and cross-border. The issue contains empirical research into various migrant groups during the pandemic, highlights challenges faced by NGOs and professionals, and concludes with recommendations for policy changes to safeguard migrants’ human rights in future crises.
The 2023 Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS) Awards have been granted to organizations La Isla Network, New York University, Population Council, Urban Institute, and NORC at the University of Chicago. These awards will support research-based interventions aimed at combating human trafficking in Ethiopia, Nepal, Thailand, and Mexico.
Last week, as part of its ongoing campaign to eliminate products produced using Uyghur forced labour, the U.S. State Department expanded the list of Chinese companies subject to import restrictions for goods entering the United States, increasing the total number of listed companies to 27.
British millionaire Hamish Ogston faces allegations of exploiting vulnerable sex workers from Southeast Asia, according to a Times (London) investigation involving around 1,000 leaked documents and interviews. The documents suggest his involvement in trafficking Thai and Filipina sex workers who entered the country as tourists and engaged in sex work at his property.
Corporate Accountability Lab is hiring a Staff Attorney in Chicago to oversee projects on human rights and labour abuse in international supply chains.
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