캄보디아 '스캠 범죄'의 늪: 보여주기식 단속이 키운 인권의 사각지대 > K-wave Trends

The findings from Amnesty International stand in stark contrast to the statistics released by Cambodian authorities. While the government claims to have shut down hundreds of scam operations and deported large numbers of people since last July, the number of confirmed crackdown sites is only 24—a mere fraction of the government's claims. In fact, the number of criminal compounds has actually increased from 53 last year to 86 this year. This indicates that rather than rooting out the core of the crime, the crackdown has simply forced scam organizations to change their survival strategies by scattering into smaller facilities in urban areas or relocating. Consequently, the Cambodian authorities' actions have not only failed to stop the spread of crime but have backfired, making it even harder to track these organizations.

The horrific human rights abuses inside these criminal compounds reveal how human dignity is being trampled. According to survivor testimonies, forced labor, physical assault, and torture are routine in these enclosed spaces. Sexual violence and rape, particularly against female survivors, have reached alarming levels. Criminal organizations hold victims captive and force them to engage in fraudulent activities such as voice phishing or romance scams, leading to devastating consequences, including unwanted pregnancies. Despite being clear victims of human trafficking under international standards, local authorities often refuse to recognize them as such, instead labeling them as illegal immigrants and subjecting them to secondary victimization through detention or neglect.

Most concerning is the evidence of collusion between Cambodian law enforcement and criminal organizations. Survivors have exposed that police frequently visit these compounds, not to conduct raids, but to show off their close ties with managers or even assist in disposing of bodies. Furthermore, information about upcoming raids is often leaked to the criminal groups in advance, allowing key figures to flee or relocate their facilities. This structural collusion neutralizes international oversight and has become a primary factor in cementing Cambodia's status as a global hub for transnational crime. It raises serious doubts about the government's genuine commitment to eradication, and the issue is now escalating from a local problem into a global human rights crisis.

The lack of a protection system for victims creates a vicious cycle that drives them back into the hands of criminals. Those who manage to escape or are rescued often receive no government support, leaving them stranded on the streets or trapped in substandard immigration detention centers with no clear future. Those without embassy support or financial resources are often forced to seek out other criminal organizations for survival or become targets for human trafficking once again. This is the fundamental reason why human trafficking persists in Cambodia, signaling a complete abandonment of the state's basic duty to identify and protect victims.

While the Cambodian government insists it is following legal procedures in response to these criticisms, evidence from the field renders their explanations hollow. Unless the government discloses concrete evidence of investigations and transparent crackdown processes, its performance reports are difficult to view as anything other than media spin intended to polish its international image. Expert institutions like the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) have also consistently warned that Cambodia's crackdowns are merely performative and avoid key figures. Ultimately, Cambodia's online scam industry is evolving into more sophisticated and covert forms, while innocent citizens continue to suffer.