GENEVA

A new report by the UN human rights office published on Friday documented widespread torture, sexual abuse, and forced labor suffered by people trafficked into large-scale scam operations, primarily in Southeast Asia but increasingly worldwide.

Based on interviews with survivors from numerous countries trafficked between 2021 and 2025, the report described victims deceived by fake job offers and then forced to carry out online fraud schemes under violent conditions. Abuses included food deprivation, forced abortions, solitary confinement, and severe beatings.

Satellite imagery and field reports indicated that nearly three-quarters of these operations are concentrated in the Mekong region, though networks have expanded to Pacific Island states, South Asia, Gulf countries, West Africa, and the Americas.

"The treatment endured by individuals within the context of scam operations is alarming," the report said.

Survivors described being held in heavily guarded compounds resembling self-contained towns, some spanning more than 500 acres. Failure to meet scam quotas often resulted in punishment. One Sri Lankan victim said workers who missed targets were immersed for hours in water containers known as "water prisons."

Victims also reported extortion tactics targeting families, including video calls showing abuse to pressure relatives into paying ransoms.

"The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heart-breaking," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. "Yet, rather than receiving protection, care and rehabilitation … victims too often face disbelief, stigmatization and even further punishment."

Turk called for rights-based anti-trafficking measures, safe migration pathways, and stronger action against corruption enabling the criminal networks.

"There must be increased availability and accessibility of safe labour migration pathways and meaningful oversight of recruitment such as verification of online job postings and flagging suspicious recruitment patterns," he said.