Thousands of foreign workers, including Indonesians, Chinese, South Asians, and Africans, are attempting to leave Cambodia following a recent crackdown on online scam operations. Now departures are surging after a high-profile arrest. This trend is in line with heightened governmental attention against criminal syndicates, spurred on by heightened outside international pressure.
To one side, Phnom Penh is being flooded with people escaping these scam compounds. Thousands of them have been posted to the streets outside their embassies waiting to receive assistance. Indonesian nationals would be very eager to bring complaints. This is indicative of the leaky pipeline they face even after finding freedom from exploitative environments.
In recent weeks, the Cambodian government has stepped up its efforts to dismantle criminal networks. These networks have been enticing foreign workers into indentured servitude. The crackdown follows international outcry regarding the treatment of these workers and the rise of organized crime linked to online scams. In turn, authorities have reacted by cracking down harder on these efforts to shut them down.
Due to this prompting government action, foreign nationals from countries all around the world are desperately trying to get home. Chinese workers have been found to be victims of labor exploitation inside these scam operations. South Asian and African workers have related parallel experiences. They say that they were sold a bill of goods with promises of high-paying jobs. Rather, they went to find themselves ensnared in a predatory pattern of abuse and fraud.
Now anti-trafficking agencies are sounding the alarm about their fate—a human crisis for those abandoned. These groups are sounding the alarm that millions remain at risk. They don’t have the time or money to get away from crushing poverty. As more victims have been found during the course of the crackdown, the situation has grown more desperate and alarming.
The Cambodian government is beginning to take concrete steps to address these gaps. They understand the urgent need for reform in labor practices and better protection of foreign workers. The stakes have never seemed higher, the moment more critical. Millions others remain at high risk in search of an escape.