The International Organisation for Migration has warned that criminal trafficking networks are increasingly targeting African job seekers and forcing them into online scam operations abroad….reports Asian Lite News Desk
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has warned that hundreds of thousands of people across Africa have been trafficked by organised criminal networks and forced into online fraud operations that generate billions of dollars in illegal profits every year.
In a statement issued on Tuesday ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, the IOM said traffickers are increasingly targeting job seekers across East, Horn and Southern Africa by luring them with false promises of employment overseas before forcing them into illegal online scam operations.
The UN migration agency said recent cases involving nationals from Kenya, Ethiopia and neighbouring countries trafficked into scam compounds operating in Asia demonstrate that the threat has become increasingly widespread.
“The identification of East Africans among victims rescued from scam compounds demonstrates that trafficking for forced criminality is no longer a distant threat. Criminal networks are actively targeting job seekers across our region with false promises of employment abroad,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM Regional Director for East, Horn and Southern Africa.
The IOM said the theme for this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, “Trapped Behind the Scam”, reflects the growing exploitation of people seeking better economic opportunities abroad by organised trafficking syndicates.
The warning comes days after Ethiopian authorities announced the arrest of 17 suspected members of an organised human trafficking network accused of smuggling tens of thousands of Ethiopians out of the country and causing the deaths of more than 60 people.
According to the Ethiopian Federal Police, the network was allegedly led by Mohamed Tahir Aden and illegally trafficked more than 40,000 Ethiopian nationals to Saudi Arabia through Djibouti and Yemen.
Police alleged that the group recruited victims from different parts of Ethiopia through a network of brokers, promising them easy entry into Saudi Arabia via Yemen and the prospect of a better life.
Investigators also accused the trafficking ring of collecting more than one billion Ethiopian birr (about 6.19 million US dollars) from victims while subjecting many of them to abuse during the operation.
In addition to the alleged trafficking offences, police said members of the network committed serious crimes, including acts of sexual violence against several women.
The IOM said the latest cases underscore the need for stronger international cooperation to combat trafficking networks that prey on vulnerable people seeking employment abroad and force them into criminal activities under coercion.
