The Civil Society Network for Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (CSNHTV) has exposed the brutal realities faced by victims of human trafficking trapped in fraudulent camps across Myanmar.

Somjit Rungjamrasratsamee, Mae Sot District, Tak Province, May 18, 2025

On May 18, 2025, reporters covered the ongoing efforts to rescue victims of call center scams along the Myanmar border, particularly in areas controlled by the DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army) and the BGF (Border Guard Force). Both groups are allied with the State Administration Council led by Min Aung Hlaing, operating directly across from Mae Ramat, Phop Phra, and Mae Sot districts. Despite joint efforts by several countries to aid victims—including the "3 Cuts" policy (cutting electricity, internet signals, and fuel supply to border areas in Myanmar) and strict Thai immigration screening—these measures have failed to halt the criminal operations. Chinese mafia groups and scammer syndicates remain active, continuing to exploit numerous foreign nationals who are still being held as victims. These individuals, both women and men, are subjected to severe physical abuse.

Recently, CSNHTV revealed the desperate conditions in Karen State, where victims are left helpless under rogue authority, under the theme:

“A Denied Humanitarian Crisis — No Aid, No Rights, Ignored by the State, Abused by the Mafia.”

Maria, a trafficking survivor, was urgently rescued from BGF-controlled territory due to her late-stage pregnancy and high-risk condition. Although she received some assistance, nearly three weeks have passed and she remains trapped in a temporary camp, still awaiting repatriation. Due to these delays, Maria gave birth and is now raising her child under extremely difficult conditions.

Samantha contracted a serious sexually transmitted infection (STI) and suffered complications after a miscarriage. Following surgery, she was denied continued treatment and proper medical care, forcing her to suffer in silence.

Julia, suffering from a severe heart condition, is unable to walk or speak. Despite multiple hospital visits, she never received a proper diagnosis or adequate treatment. In despair, she contacted her family to help coordinate a transfer to Mae Sot Hospital in Thailand. However, Myanmar authorities failed to approve or respond, ultimately denying her the urgent care she desperately needs.

Novi, four months pregnant, was severely physically abused. She was forced to squat for seven hours, doing thousands of squats, causing severe swelling in her legs. Chinese executives at the company attempted to inject her and force her to take abortion pills. Meanwhile, her friend Sophie was relentlessly beaten, her body covered in deep purple bruises. They and others were forced to work 18 hours a day without rest. The psychological toll was immense—Sophie displayed severe mental illness and attempted suicide multiple times. Her mother begged for help, but no interventions have been made.

Romeo was forced to stand under the sun until his skin burned and peeled, exposing raw flesh. The company continues to bring in new victims, threatening them that no one will help them.

Henok was severely punished by a Chinese mafia boss after being accused of underperforming. He was imprisoned, tortured, and had his right eye stabbed with a stick. He was sent to a hospital that could not treat him. Just weeks earlier, a video of another victim being electrocuted at the same location went viral on social media, leading to the rescue of two victims. Authorities had the opportunity to interview survivors who confirmed that many more victims remain trapped, but no further action has been taken. Henok and others continue to suffer under Chinese mafia control in untouchable scam centers, beyond the reach of law enforcement.

With minimal international pressure, countless victims remain in unprotected areas, continuously abused in Karen State under the control of the BGF, led by Colonel Saw Chit Thu—sanctioned by the EU, UK, and USA—and the DKBA, under the command of Brigadier General Sai Jaw Hla (also known as Ko Sai), the group’s third-ranking officer.

Critically ill patients are heavily neglected, with limited or no hospital access. Even when they reach clinics, many are denied essential surgeries or continued care due to lack of funds. As a result, many seriously ill victims go untreated—for instance, a man with a broken arm, another with a large inflamed tumor on his neck, and a woman with gallstones. Others suffer from diabetes or swollen feet that prevent them from walking. Despite repeated efforts to move patients to Thailand, no concrete progress has been made.

Worse still, of the many abused victims who cry for help, only a few receive assistance—usually those with infections or who attract public pressure. Most pleas for help—whether from families, embassies, governments, or civil society—go unanswered.

CSNHTV has identified 158 victims still trapped in fraudulent detention centers, subjected to inhumane torture and urgently awaiting rescue. Sixty-six of them remain detained in a specific center detention centers in Myawaddy Township, where victims are held in locked buildings, subjected to constant surveillance, and regularly physically assaulted. The CSNHTV network has urged the international community to urgently intervene and provide humanitarian assistance to those suffering in these camps. Despite repeated warnings and public exposure of the horrific conditions, no meaningful rescue operation has taken place. The victims continue to face inhumane treatment, are denied medical care, and have no legal protection or access to justice.

The network emphasizes that "these victims are not criminals", but survivors of human trafficking, many of whom were lured under false pretenses, such as job offers, and later forced into labor for online scam operations operated by Chinese criminal syndicates. The perpetrators run their operations with impunity under the protection or cooperation of local armed groups, and exploit victims while keeping them in detention-like conditions with no access to the outside world.

There is growing concern that without international intervention, the situation will deteriorate further, and many more lives will be lost. The lack of accountability, the failure of cross-border cooperation, and the absence of effective law enforcement have allowed this crisis to persist.

In summary, CSNHTV has documented over 158 confirmed victims trapped inside these fraudulent detention centers, suffering torture, deprivation, and abuse, and has called for immediate humanitarian access, medical evacuation for critically ill individuals, and safe repatriation of all victims. The network reiterates that this is a severe humanitarian crisis and demands urgent global action to uphold the rights and dignity of all human beings affected by these brutal trafficking operations.