In South East Asia, criminal gangs are trafficking hundreds of thousands of people to fund illicit gaming activities, according to a study released by the UN Human Rights Office.
According to a UN assessment, victims of these southeast Asian human trafficking operations—which bring in billions of US dollars annually—face grave abuses and crimes.
Threats to their security and safety are among them. Numerous people have already experienced sexual assault, forced labor, torture, arbitrary arrest, and other violations of their human rights.
According to “credible sources,” criminal actors have coerced at least 120,000 people in Myanmar to engage in online criminal activity, including unlawful gambling, according to the UN.
Estimates for Cambodia, according to the international organization, are around 100,000. In Thailand, Laos, and the Philippines, tens of thousands more are trafficked.
UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS VOLKER TÜRK
“Those forced to work in these scams are subjected to cruel treatment while being compelled to commit crimes,” stated Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. They are victims. They are not criminals.
Covid-19 impact on criminal networks
According to the UN, human trafficking activities in South East Asia were “dramatically impacted” by the COVID-19 epidemic and the local governments’ response to it.
Governments in the area shuttered casinos as a consequence of public health initiatives. As a result, casino operators shifted their operations to less controlled regions. These include online, in Special Economic Zones, and close to war boundaries.
As a result, criminal networks are increasingly recruiting migrants in precarious situations, according to the UN.
Demographics of trafficked individuals
Although the UN highlighted that women and adolescents are also victims, males make up the majority of those recruited into these illegal enterprises. Additionally, the victims are typically not nationals of the nation where the trafficking occurs.
The UN emphasized that a large number of the people are well educated, many holding graduate and post-graduate degrees. This is due to the fact that thieves target those who are multilingual and computer proficient.
South East Asian countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are among those where human trafficking victims originate.
Some, however, come from farther away; the UN notes that victims include persons from South Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and even Africa and Latin America.
Involvement of POGOs
Numerous Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations (POGOs) are implicated in a number of crimes, according to the research.
These activities were made lawful by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. Many of their operations, however, are illegal due to regulatory inadequacies.
THE PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT HAS RECENTLY CRACKED DOWN ON POGO OPERATIONS
The UN cites a 2020 report from the Philippine Department of Finance that projected there were over 230 POGOs operating throughout the nation. Even though only ten actually paid taxes, only 60 had licenses.
Pagcor, the nation’s gambling authority, has conducted a number of raids to crack down on illegal activity in this industry.
The government of the Philippines has connected POGOs to financial crimes, migrant worker imprisonment, and kidnapping.
Human trafficking framework falls short in SE Asia
Governments around the area have not been able to adequately combat the menace of human trafficking, according to the UN assessment.
Although there are legal and legislative frameworks in this field, it was said that they frequently “fall short of international standards.”
Implementations by the UN have not been able to adapt to the changing environment. Additionally, governments are ill-prepared to handle the sophistication of illicit businesses operating online.
THE UN SAID SOUTH EAST ASIAN HUMAN TRAFFICKING FRAMEWORKS ARE OFTEN INSUFFICIENT
Furthermore, victims of human trafficking are sometimes labeled criminals or immigration offenders by governments. This indicates that they are not given the necessary help and rehabilitation. Many are also vulnerable to criminal prosecution by governments.
“All impacted states must muster the political will to uphold human rights, enhance governance, and uphold the rule of law, including by making significant and persistent efforts to combat corruption,” Türk said. “A strong criminal justice response to these frauds must include this as much as possible.
“Only by taking such a comprehensive approach can the cycle of impunity be broken and the victims of such horrendous abuse be guaranteed protection and justice.”
