Deceptive online job offers that lure people into forced labor at scam compounds are prompting Southeast Asian governments to launch a joint campaign to warn job seekers and strengthen regional action against human trafficking.
Anti-trafficking committees from all 10 ASEAN member states agreed on the campaign message, “One ASEAN, One Action: Stop the Digital Trap. Break the Chains of Human Trafficking,” during their fourth regional meeting hosted by the Philippines in Lapu-Lapu City from Oct. 13 to 15.
The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) organized the meeting at Dusit Thani Mactan as part of the Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN chairmanship.
The campaign will use social media cards, videos and other information materials that participating countries can adapt to their respective contexts. The materials are scheduled for launch in connection with the National Day Against Trafficking in Persons on Dec. 12.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said cyber-enabled trafficking has become a regional concern as criminal networks recruit people with promises of overseas employment, then force them to work in online scam operations.
“No single nation can put an end to this transnational crime alone. It takes a community of anti-trafficking committees in our region,” Ty said.
He identified public information and education as key tools in preventing trafficking and urged delegates to establish concrete arrangements for cooperation, including direct contacts, faster referrals, information sharing and follow-up commitments.
“A trafficker should never find it easier to cross our borders than an investigator, prosecutor, or a social worker trying to help a victim,” he said.
Ty cited the Philippines’ experience with offshore gaming operations, which had been used as fronts for scam hubs where thousands of victims from Southeast Asia were subjected to forced labor.
He said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators disrupted these operations in the country, while a law enacted in October 2025 classified illegal recruitment and exploitation for scam operations as trafficking.
However, Ty cautioned that the disruption did not eliminate the problem across the region because criminal operations and victims could move across borders.
The Philippines helped repatriate at least 1,606 trafficking victims in 2025, many of whom had been exploited in scam centers abroad, he said.
IACAT Secretariat Executive Director Hannah Lizette S. Manalili said trafficking networks had become increasingly transnational, particularly in cases involving people forced to participate in online scams.
The meeting’s regional overview cited a 2026 threat assessment by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which found that people from more than 80 countries and territories had been identified in scam compounds across Southeast Asia.
Manalili said countries of origin and destination face challenges in providing assistance, including limited resources, lengthy repatriation processes, immigration penalties, cross-border verification requirements, and language and cultural barriers.
Delegates also discussed the difficulty of distinguishing trafficking victims from perpetrators in scam compounds. Some people initially forced into criminal activities later assume supervisory roles or recruit others, complicating efforts to determine their status.
Participants stressed the need to assess each person’s circumstances carefully to ensure victims receive protection while authorities pursue accountability for criminal offenses.
To address gaps in identifying, protecting and repatriating victims, delegates explored formal and informal referral channels, a possible transnational referral mechanism and an ASEAN-level framework.
The discussions support the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and its victim-centered, rights-based approach.
Delegates identified prevention as a priority, particularly efforts to reach young job seekers before they fall victim to fraudulent recruitment.
Manalili said ASEAN member states could adopt the campaign recommendations and adjust the materials to fit their respective legal and cultural contexts.
IACAT Assistant Secretary-in-Charge Michelle Anne S. Lapuz emphasized that regional coordination must continue because trafficking networks often recruit, transport and exploit victims in different countries.
“A person is recruited in one country, moved through another, and exploited in a third,” she said.
“Our shared goal is simple to say and hard to do: to stop the exploitation, to deliver justice that victims can actually reach, and to give survivors real ways to rebuild their lives, including the chance to tell their own stories in their own words,” Lapuz said.
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