Commentary: Scam centres, human trafficking – Southeast Asian governments can do more for such victims

Compounding the issue, rescued victims suffer trauma, guilt, social stigma and potential legal consequences in their home countries for crimes they were coerced into committing. Additionally, social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram remain rife with fake overseas job advertisements that bypass the sites’ existing moderation.

WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE?

The above issues highlight significant policy gaps where more can be done to protect potential victims and assist existing victims. Southeast Asian governments must adopt more proactive measures to identify and assist scam victims.

As many of these victims enter these situations legally via conventional immigration channels and travel methods under false job offers, embassies in countries known to host scam operations can perhaps implement an opt-in system for citizens staying abroad for extended periods to remotely “check in” with their nations’ embassies on a regular basis to ensure their safety. 

This can be integrated into existing digital identification systems used by Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore’s SingPass or Malaysia’s MyDigital ID. Doing so can help identify trafficking cases by flagging persons who have not checked in for an extended period, prompting follow-up investigations. 

Embassies can then collaborate with anti-trafficking NGOs and pressure collaboration with local authorities to locate and repatriate identified victims, leveraging regional frameworks like ASEAN’s Multi-Sectoral Work Plan Against Trafficking in Persons 2023-2028.