This is what several observers say. Cambodia is considered to be one of the most corrupt countries in the region. Prime Minister Hun Sen declared August 20 “anti-trafficking day.” Hundreds of foreigners from Southeast Asia have been released in recent months.
Phnom Penh () – Many observers maintain that it is impossible for human trafficking to take place in Cambodia without complicity in high places. They also point out that the country is the point of origin, transit and destination of trafficking, and that corruption is favoring this situation. The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International shows that Phnom Penh ranks 157th out of 180 countries considered in the report, the third lowest in the Asia-Pacific region after Afghanistan and North Korea.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen declared last September at the sixth national interfaith forum against human trafficking: “Don’t let Cambodia become a haven for crime, a place for money laundering, dirty money and human trafficking”. As a sign of his commitment, the government announced at the same headquarters that, starting in 2023, August 20 will be a day dedicated to involving national and local authorities at all levels in the fight against the phenomenon.
It is already known that there is a human trafficking network that attracts thousands of individuals of various nationalities with job offers and then exploits them in Cambodia in many different ways. Since the beginning of the year, a large number of Malaysian citizens have been “saved”, and in August 241 Indonesians were rescued from exploitation and repatriated. That same month, 368 cases were identified and 41 exploiters of Cambodian, Chinese and Thai nationality were arrested, and 629 Taiwanese were caught in the trap in 2022.
In July Al Jazeera had denounced the situation in a documentary in which several victims described the tricks, kidnappings and torture to which they were subjected. Including death threats. In recent months other major international media outlets have followed in the footsteps of the pan-Arab broadcaster.
Criminal activities consist of organizing Internet scams by gangs formed or run by foreign nationals who have long settled in Cambodia, where they often also run gambling dens. Casino activity – which has been increasing in recent years – is legal, but it is also essential for money laundering and the development of new forms of slavery.
On the other hand, many of the people who fall victim to the Internet fraud “industry”, cheated out of prospects for well-paid employment in services and tourism and then deprived of their liberty, come from countries that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which this year Cambodia has the rotating presidency.
