HRA urges Myanmar to free Filipino scam victims

CAPE TOWN — The Human Rights Association has called on Myanmar authorities to dismantle online scam compounds operating in the country and release all Filipino nationals allegedly held in forced labor operations.

In a May 2026 statement, HRA Chairman Saad Kassis-Mohamed said Filipino nationals have been trafficked into scam compounds in Myawaddy and along Myanmar’s border with Thailand, where they are allegedly forced to commit online fraud under threat of torture and physical abuse.

The HRA said the compounds constitute a humanitarian and human rights crisis, citing findings by United Nations experts that hundreds of thousands of people across the region have been forced to carry out online fraud inside heavily fortified facilities.

Three U.N. special rapporteurs said in May 2025 that trafficking for forced criminality in Southeast Asian scam compounds had reached the level of a humanitarian and human rights crisis.

A February 2026 report by the U.N. Human Rights Office described scam centers as fortified compounds, some covering more than 500 acres, where survivors reported constant surveillance, beatings, torture, and coercion.

The HRA said Filipino victims were lured through social media and messaging platforms with promises of high-paying jobs as customer service representatives or chat support agents.

After accepting the job offers, the victims were allegedly transported through the Thai border and forced to work in scam compounds in Myawaddy.

The Philippine Commission on Human Rights said in April 2025 that it was gravely concerned over reports of Filipinos being trafficked into illegal scam hubs in Myanmar through deceptive online recruitment.

By October 2025, the Philippine Embassy in Yangon had received 222 active requests for repatriation assistance from Filipino nationals trapped in scam hub areas, according to the HRA.

In November 2025, 346 Filipino nationals confirmed as trafficking victims were repatriated.

The Philippine News Agency reported that the Philippine government brought home 346 overseas Filipino workers who were victims of human trafficking in Myanmar scam hubs in November 2025.

In late October 2025, raids on the KK Park compound in Myawaddy triggered the displacement of more than 1,500 workers, including about 200 Filipino nationals who fled across the border into Thailand, the HRA said.

One Filipino man who escaped described fleeing with about 30 compatriots as a pro-junta militia arrived: “Everyone ran outside. This was our chance to escape.”

The HRA said the KK Park raids were welcome but did not resolve the crisis, as investigators and civil society organizations have found that scam operations continued at other compounds and that displaced criminal syndicates rapidly reconstituted in new locations.

The U.N. estimates that about 120,000 people in Myanmar remain trapped in forced scam labor operations, according to the HRA.

The HRA said Chinese criminal syndicates that operate and finance these compounds have not been prosecuted, warning that the industry will continue expanding without arrests, prosecution, and asset seizures.

“Filipino men and women were promised legitimate jobs, transported across an international border, locked in fortified compounds, and forced to commit fraud under threat of torture. When they refused or tried to leave, they were beaten and sold. These are not irregular migrants who took a risk. These are trafficking victims held in industrial-scale facilities operating with the knowledge and, in many cases, the active support of armed actors on Myanmar’s territory. The responsibility for this crisis lies with Myanmar. The Myanmar authorities have an obligation under international law to dismantle these operations, release every Filipino national held against their will, and bring those responsible to justice. Raiding one compound while dozens more continue to operate is not accountability. It is a performance.”

Kassis-Mohamed also said: “Filipino men and women were promised legitimate jobs, locked in fortified compounds, and forced to commit fraud under threat of torture. The responsibility for this crisis lies with Myanmar. The Myanmar authorities have an obligation to dismantle these operations, release every Filipino national held against their will, and bring those responsible to justice. Raiding one compound while dozens more continue to operate is not accountability. It is a performance.”

The HRA specifically urged Myanmar authorities to dismantle all scam compounds within Myanmar’s territory.

It also called for the immediate release of all Filipino nationals held against their will, with priority for those who formally sought repatriation assistance from the Philippine government.

The group urged Myanmar to arrest and prosecute syndicate leaders through international judicial cooperation, seize and forfeit their assets, and fully cooperate with the Philippine government in rescuing and repatriating remaining Filipino victims.

The Human Rights Association is an initiative of the WeCare Foundation in Cape Town and is active across Africa, South Asia, and the Gulf region.

The HRA said it works to protect people facing unjust detention, denial of medical care, and due process violations, and engages directly with U.N. mechanisms on their behalf.