A startling new report from Amnesty International, released on Thursday, casts a harsh light on severe human rights abuses within Cambodian labor camps, where individuals are reportedly trafficked into forced labor and subjected to conditions akin to modern slavery. The 240-page investigative document, titled "I was someone else’s property," draws from firsthand accounts of 58 survivors who describe a grim reality far removed from the promising job opportunities they were initially offered.

These labor compounds, designed with the stringent security of a prison, encase victims who are coerced into executing online scams under the threat of violence, including beatings and torture. Among the victims are minors, some of whom sought what they believed to be holiday jobs. Amnesty's findings conclude that 32 of the interviewed individuals lived under conditions that meet international definitions of slavery, with 40 reporting torture commonly inflicted when they failed to meet work quotas or tried contacting authorities.

The report sharply criticizes the Cambodian government for its inadequate response and apparent systematic failure to address these crimes. It suggests a troubling collusion between law enforcement and the operators of these scam compounds, with police often failing to prosecute known offenders and actively suppressing dissent.

Highlighting a broader regional crisis, earlier this year, UN experts warned of a "humanitarian and human rights crisis," pointing to rampant large-scale human trafficking in fraudulent operations across Southeast Asia. Victims, hailing from various nations, are entrapped, forced into cyber scams, and subjected to extensive abuse.

International statutes like the Palermo Protocol and the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) by the ILO, mandate rigorous measures against human trafficking and forced labor. However, according to Human Rights Watch's 2024 report, Cambodia has lagged in adopting many of these essential international recommendations. The report further notes an increasing repression within the country, with heightened penalties for political dissent, suppression of media freedoms, and targeting of labor rights activists.

This comprehensive documentation by Amnesty International underscores a dire need for international intervention and a coordinated global response to dismantle these exploitative operations, safeguard human dignity, and restore fundamental human rights to those ensnared in these devastating circumstances. The call to action is clear: it is imperative to protect victims and prevent further human rights abuses under the guise of employment opportunities.