Modern slavery and human trafficking

Trafficking into Forced Criminality: the Rise of Scam Centres in Southeast Asia

18 Jan, 2024
Dr Sasha Jesperson

In Southeast Asia, a growing number of scam centres have been identified, where recruits groom victims online to encourage investment in fraudulent schemes. But these recruits are victims themselves; tricked with job offers in another country, they are forced into criminality. Described using the Chinese term Shāzhūpán, or ‘pig-butchering scams’,…

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Rescue or Risk: ‘Volunteerism’ and Human Trafficking Risks in Ukraine

3 Jan, 2023
Iisa Kosonen and Mark Williams

The Russia-Ukraine war has spurred, alongside a rise in escaping refugees to neighbouring countries, an increase in ad-hoc volunteerism through ‘at the border’ aid agencies. Often lacking formal identification or supervision, there is increased potential that the presence of these entities increases the risk of human trafficking as the war…

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