Immigration Law Reform Can Prevent Cyber Slavery

Over the last few years, instances of skilled Indian workers being trafficked, enslaved, and brutalized in cyber-scam operations across the Golden Triangle—Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos—have been on the rise.

- Rejimon Kuttappan

In these cyber-slave camps, they endure forced labor, physical abuse, and psychological torture. Some manage to escape, risking their lives or paying extortionate ransoms, while others return home empty-handed, scarred by their ordeal.

Despite thousands being rescued or repatriated—earlier this month, hundreds were flown back on Indian Air Force flights—the trafficking pipeline remains intact. Unemployment and outdated emigration laws influence labor migrants to seek jobs in extremely dangerous workplaces.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for July 2023-June 2024 underscores the absence of sufficient secure, sustainable livelihoods. Indeed, the manufacturing sector, which should be the backbone of employment generation, has shown no growth in job creation compared to previous years.

The chilling testimonies I have recorded from Indians coerced into fighting for the Russian army in Ukraine reveal that they migrated due to a lack of employment opportunities at home. So did those who were in Israel when the war broke out after the terror strike by Hamas. The same applies to those who migrate to Southeast Asia and get enslaved in camps run by cyber-scam operators.