Cambodia’s scam crackdown leaves trafficked African workers stranded

Cambodia’s crackdown on online fraud compounds has left thousands of trafficked foreign workers stranded without passports, money, shelter or secure legal status, according to NGOs cited by Deutsche Welle.

African nationals are now reportedly the largest group trafficked to and stranded in Cambodia and Myanmar. Survivors have described forced labour, debt, passport confiscation, long working hours, beatings, electric shocks and confinement inside heavily secured compounds.

The crackdown followed international pressure, including threatened financial sanctions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union. Cambodia’s Ministry of Information said more than 700 compounds had been raided over the past year, with 58,266 foreign nationals deported and nearly 30,000 suspects arrested. Those figures were not independently substantiated in the reporting.

NGOs say the enforcement campaign has created a secondary humanitarian crisis. Some people seeking help have reportedly been placed in immigration detention, while others have slept rough, begged for food or faced stigma and abuse. Amnesty International has warned that escapees risk being treated as criminals despite being coerced into fraud.

Repatriation is complicated by the absence of consular representation for many affected African countries in Cambodia. The International Organization for Migration said severe budget constraints limited it to prioritised support, while several African governments did not respond to requests for comment.

The UN estimates that at least 300,000 trafficked workers from 66 countries are involved in Southeast Asia’s online fraud operations. Humanitarian groups also warn that survivors remain at risk of re-trafficking after returning home.