Ahead of  July 30 which marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons under the theme “Trapped Behind the Scam, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that  Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have been trafficked by criminal networks and forced to participate in online scams in a multibillion-dollar criminal industry.  

Trafficked victims are often lured by fake job ads promising legitimate work abroad. Once they arrive, many are locked inside compounds, stripped of their documents, subjected to constant surveillance, and forced through violence, threats and debt bondage to carry out online scam operations targeting people worldwide. Survivors report enduring torture, sexual abuse, starvation and solitary confinement.

“People trapped in scam compounds are victims of trafficking, forced to commit crimes through violence, threats and coercion. They deserve protection, not punishment,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “We must work together to support survivors, stop traffickers and close the gaps these criminal networks exploit. No country can tackle this alone.”

The scale of the crime is staggering. New United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) data estimates combined annual losses from scam offences across East Asia, South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand are between USD 88.3 billion and USD 114.1 billion for 2025 alone, much of it tied to organized crime, and scam compounds across the region are believed to hold hundreds of thousands of trafficked workers.

As trafficking in persons for forced criminality continues to expand across Asia and increasingly beyond the region, IOM has launched its new Regional Strategy Response to Trafficking in Persons for Forced Criminality in Asia and the Pacific (2026–2030). The strategy outlines IOM’s vision for addressing one of the fastest-growing forms of human trafficking, with a strong focus on victim protection, prevention, cross-border cooperation and stronger partnerships to disrupt trafficking networks.

Between 2022 and 2025, IOM assisted more than 3,500 victims of trafficking for forced criminality across South-East Asia, from 39 countries, with the largest numbers originating from Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Bangladesh.

The message at the heart of this year’s campaign is clear: people forced to commit crimes inside scam centres are victims of trafficking, not criminals, and should be protected, not punished.

Rescue is only the first step. Survivors often face severe trauma, stigma, debt, missing identity documents and the fear of prosecution, requiring sustained support to return home safely and rebuild their lives. IOM’s response includes identifying victims, referring them to protection services, providing direct assistance, coordinating with consular authorities, supporting safe return and reintegration, and working with governments and law enforcement partners to strengthen victim identification, cross-border cooperation and accountability for traffickers.

To strengthen its response, IOM calls for continued support to assist victims of trafficking through protection, safe return and reintegration, while scaling up efforts to raise awareness of traffickers’ tactics so that people can recognize risks and know where to seek help.

Human rights organisations and migrant rights advocates have welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to confirm all 17 charges against Osama El-Hishri, describing it as a landmark step towards justice for victims of abuses committed at Libya’s notorious Mitiga Prison.

The ICC’s confirmation of the charges clears the way for El-Hishri to stand trial over allegations linked to murder, torture, sexual violence and other crimes allegedly committed against detainees at the prison in Tripoli.

Reacting to the decision, migrant distress network Alarm Phone described the ruling as “historic” for survivors of crimes committed at Mitiga Prison.

“The International Criminal Court confirmed all 17 charges against El-Hishri. This is a historic decision for survivors of crimes committed at Mitiga prison in Libya,” the organisation said in a statement posted on X.

Alarm Phone also echoed calls by refugee advocacy group Refugees in Libya, saying the prosecution should mark the beginning of broader efforts to hold perpetrators of abuses in Libya accountable.

Similarly, Sea-Watch International hailed the ICC’s decision, noting that the confirmation means the case will now proceed to trial.

The organisation alleged that El-Hishri was a senior member of Libya’s Special Deterrence Force (SDF/RADA) militia and headed parts of Mitiga Prison, where migrants and refugees were subjected to severe human rights violations.

“The ICC confirmed all 17 charges against El-Hishri today. The case is going to trial,” Sea-Watch International said.

It added that people on the move detained at Mitiga Prison had been subjected to murder, torture and sexual violence, describing the prosecution as an important step in addressing longstanding impunity for abuses against migrants in Libya.

Activist Yousef Ismail also welcomed the court’s decision, saying it represented the kind of justice victims had long demanded.

“This is the real number; this is the truth we seek. We always speak of justice and respect for human rights. The International Criminal Court has fairly proven 17 charges against the so-called ‘Hashri,’ the rapist and the gatekeeper of Mitiga,” he wrote on X.

The ICC’s decision has been widely viewed by rights advocates as a significant milestone in efforts to secure accountability for crimes allegedly committed against migrants and refugees held in Libya’s detention system.

Campaigners, however, stressed that the prosecution of El-Hishri should not be the end of international efforts, urging authorities to investigate other individuals allegedly responsible for serious human rights violations in Libya’s detention facilities.

A former Head of Policy Development and Evaluation at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Jeff Crisp, has suggested that the organization’s newly announced leadership appointments could signal a shift in its priorities away from refugee protection and asylum toward humanitarian assistance and development.

Reacting to the appointments in a post on X, Crisp said the selection of the agency’s new senior officials “suggest that the agency might be going to focus on humanitarian assistance & development issues rather than refugee protection & asylum.”

He added that his concerns were reinforced by UNHCR’s support for the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum.

“A suspicion strengthened by UNHCR’s endorsement of the EU Pact on Migration & Asylum,” Crisp wrote.

His comments came shortly after United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointments of Tressa Rae Finerty as Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Antón Leis García as Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, and Edem Wosornu as Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih welcomed the appointments, saying the three officials bring extensive experience in humanitarian affairs, international cooperation and refugee protection. They are expected to assume their duties in the coming weeks.

Crisp’s remarks reflect concerns held by some refugee rights advocates and migration experts who have argued that UNHCR faces increasing pressure to balance its traditional mandate of protecting refugees and defending the right to asylum with expanding responsibilities in humanitarian response, development cooperation and migration management.

The appointments come at a time when the agency is grappling with record levels of forced displacement worldwide, shrinking humanitarian funding and increasingly restrictive asylum policies in many parts of the world.