'Abolish Slave Compounds’: Groups Call for Urgent Investigation, Response

A major intergovernmental response is urgently needed to address a crisis of forced labor, slavery and torture in Cambodia, a collective of 35 civil society groups said on Thursday. Thousands of people are entrapped, often foreign nationals who have been kidnapped, sold, trafficked or tricked into accepting jobs in Cambodia, the groups said in a statement, citing victim accounts and media reports. 

“Once in Cambodia, they are detained in large compounds and forced to work, often conducting online scam operations targeting foreign nationals outside the country,” their statement said. “Workers who escape report having faced physical and mental threats and violence at the hands of their captors.”

The embassies of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan and China have issued warnings about the situation, the statement added. “The continued existence of these operations is a tragedy, and we are horrified that Cambodia is being used as a base for such inhumanity. All relevant actors must immediately guarantee that no one is subject to slavery or torture within Cambodia,” the statement said.

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