Ethiopian Trafficking Survivor Reveals Horrors of Southeast Asia Scam Centers
Ahmed, an Ethiopian youth, describes his harrowing experience in Southeast Asia’s scam centers after being trafficked under false pretenses. These facilities exploit individuals for profit, especially targeting Africans due to their desperation for work and English proficiency. Despite recent rescues, many remain captive, facing brutal treatment and a lack of support from their governments, leading to extensive family indebtedness after securing their release.
Ahmed, a 25-year-old Ethiopian, continues to suffer from trauma months after being trafficked to Southeast Asia, where he was forced to work in scam centers. He is one of many Africans tricked into such facilities, which have emerged as part of a lucrative multi-billion-dollar industry that exploits desperate individuals. These centers, commonly referred to as “love scam” operations, operate in prison-like conditions across countries like Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, luring victims with false promises of high-paying jobs.
Scammers create fake profiles of affluent Western women to deceive potential investors into committing their savings into cryptocurrency ventures, only to vanish once the money is transferred. Recent reports indicate that hundreds of individuals have been freed from such centers in Myanmar, yet the United Nations claims that there are still hundreds of thousands of people caught in this criminal web.
Ahmed’s ordeal began when a supposed friend offered him a lucrative job abroad, prompting his family to raise $1,600 for his journey to Laos. However, upon arrival, he quickly recognized that he had been betrayed and thrust into a life of criminality. After narrowly escaping one compound, he was subsequently captured by armed assailants and transported to another facility in Myanmar.
Within days, Ahmed faced horrific treatment, including starvation and torture. He described the excruciating moment when his captors subjected him to electric shocks, leaving him unconscious. On the eleventh day of his captivity, he was confronted with the grim choice of working for free for 18 months, paying a ransom, or participating in sexual exploitation—he chose to labor without compensation, only to encounter worse living conditions.
His experiences highlighted the extreme brutality of these facilities. Ahmed observed that many individuals suffered severe injuries, with some even losing limbs due to torture. He noted a brutal disparity in treatment, stating that while Africans endured punished hardships, other nationalities faced less severe consequences.
Furthermore, Ahmed revealed that approximately 3,000 individuals were working in the Myanmar center alone, consisting of various nationalities including Ethiopians, Kenyans, and Ugandans. The increasing targeting of Africans is attributed to their English proficiency and economic desperation, coupled with a lack of intervention from their governments.
As the conditions in these complexes become increasingly dire, many individuals like Ahmed find themselves caught in a cycle of crisis. After his release, he learned that his family had incurred substantial debt to secure his freedom. He lamented: “I feel like I have returned from one crisis and entered into another,” underscoring the devastating impact of human trafficking that extends beyond physical captivity into long-lasting financial ruin for families.
The plight of trafficked individuals like Ahmed sheds light on the pervasive and brutal reality of scam centers in Southeast Asia, where vulnerable Africans are exploited by organized crime rings. Despite their harrowing experiences, individuals often return to families that are economically devastated by the need to pay ransoms for their freedom. The lack of governmental support further exacerbates this crisis, leaving many individuals trapped in a relentless cycle of despair, underscoring the need for greater awareness and intervention.
Original Source: www.france24.com
