MFA 30th Policy Brief Series No. 1
— September 7, 2025MFA 30th Policy Brief Series No. 1
Tackling Recruitment of Migrants For Forced Criminality
A growing crisis is unfolding as criminal organizations systematically exploit migrant workers, coercing them into illicit activities such as cyber fraud, online gambling, and cryptocurrency scams. The issue is a global problem. Vulnerable individuals from different regions of the world, including Asia (Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia), Africa, South America, and the Middle East, amongst others, are lured with false job offers, often promising legitimate roles in customer service or sales. Upon arrival in destination countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines, they are subjected to forced labor, physical abuse, and psychological coercion. Many migrant workers are held in compound-like structures, stripped of their documents, and left with no means of escape.
Read the whole in the policy brief here: MFA 30th Policy Brief Series No. 1: Tackling Recruitment of Migrants for Forced Criminality
