Sunday, February 23, 2025 - Hundreds of Kenyans are among tens of thousands of people being held as slaves inside illegal scam compounds in Myanmar, according to Thailand’s anti-human trafficking agency.
Kenyans seeking greener pastures have been flocking to
Myanmar, despite repeated warnings from Kenyan authorities, where they end up
in the scam compounds, largely controlled by Chinese cartels.
In October 2024, the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok issued a
statement cautioning citizens against seeking employment in Myanmar.
The embassy revealed that traffickers were demanding ransom
payments of up to $12,000 (approximately Ksh 1.5 million) to release enslaved
Kenyans, claiming they had been purchased as slaves.
Despite this, many Kenyans continue to ignore the warnings,
lured by false promises of lucrative office jobs, only to find themselves
trapped in forced labor.
According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of
people from around the world have been trafficked into these compounds, where
they are coerced into running online scams targeting global victims.
A study by the US Institute of Peace estimates these scams
generate $63.9 billion annually, with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos accounting
for the bulk of the illegal profits - approximately $39 billion.
Survivors who have managed to escape these compounds have
described harrowing experiences of physical abuse, including beatings and
electric shocks.
Many have shown visible wounds and bruises to the media, highlighting the brutal conditions inside these cyber-scam slavery rings.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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