Amnesty Reports Cambodia Ignores Abuses in 50+ Scam Centres

Amnesty International has released a comprehensive report accusing the Cambodian government of deliberately ignoring widespread human rights abuses occurring in at least 53 cyber scam centers across the country. These prison-like compounds, often guarded by armed personnel and surrounded by razor wire, enslave trafficked victims, including children, forcing them into online fraud and subjected to severe punishments such as electric shocks, beatings, and confinement in dark rooms. Despite evidence and repeated warnings, the Cambodian authorities have failed to investigate, assist victims, or regulate the security companies involved, raising concerns of state complicity or acquiescence. The scam industry, involving Chinese-led criminal gangs, has become a lucrative shadow economy stealing billions annually and has proliferated during the pandemic by converting casinos and hotels into scam factories. Although some raids have been conducted and a taskforce was established under Prime Minister Hun Manet, Amnesty International criticizes the government's overall response as ineffective and insufficient to stop ongoing abuses. The report highlights an urgent need for international intervention as the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable populations continue unabated.