Philippines: Three human traffickers charged after returning from Cambodia; recruited victims allegedly forced to work in scam compounds in Myanmar
"3 Filipino traffickers charged by IACAT after repatriation from Cambodia", 28 April 2025
Three suspected human traffickers were formally charged, following an investigation filed by the National Bureau of Investigation–International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-IAID).
The charges stemmed from the sworn complaints of seven overseas Filipino victims who were repatriated … from Cambodia after being trafficked to Myanmar.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI), which assisted in the investigation, said the victims were promised jobs but were instead forced to work in cyber scam operations under severe physical abuse and coercion.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the government’s efforts are anchored on the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to protect Filipinos from all forms of modern-day slavery and transnational crime.
The victims recounted being recruited online, then instructed to pose as OFWs or leave the country as tourists to evade detection…
The inquest was filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Pasay. The repatriation was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the Philippine government, including DFA, OWWA, DMW, DSWD, and the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia…