“I was selected in an interview in Dubai this year by a Thailand firm, along with a few other men were forcibly taken to Myanmar by road from Bangkok and we were forced to work for anonymous companies run by armed gangs.”

– A rescued victim from Myanmar

Myanmar is one of the nations which has maintained a grim history of human trafficking in the South Asian region. It was infamously popular for various forms of human exploitation in the forms of slavery.

Apart from other exploitative forms of slavery, it is surprising to find these gangs target white-collared professionals, especially cyber-skilled men for their illicit purposes.

Around 300 Indian nationals were reported to be captivated in Myanmar toiling for cybercriminals, and very recently (5 Oct 2022) GoI rescued 45 victims in coordination with the Myanmar Junta.

These individuals were promised a high-paid digital marketing job in Thailand initially, but they were duped later into Myanmar (Myawaddy) through unguarded routes where they were forced to get indulged in cyber-offensive activities.

Myanmar: the cradle of organized crimes

Myanmar is the part of the Golden Triangle which is most suitable for Opium cultivation, apart from the pharmaceutical industry, this plant is also used in the production of a neuro-toxic sedative called Heroin.

With the burgeoning growth of unhealthy addictions in modern society and the parallel rise of armed rebel groups in the loutish areas in the region, favored by poor government vigilance, unlawful activities flourish easily.

Myanmar's human trafficking syndicate: a menace in India — Image Source – The Counter terrorism Group

These groups exploit the local people for financial and human resources, and they recruit financially desperate individuals.

Most of the recruited individuals are either exploited as sexual slaves or bonded labor.

Modes of exploitation after trafficking

Sordid merchants, sleazy tycoons, and besotted tourists are the primary clients of these (unlawful) groups act as a shield and safe haven for these groups to expand and establish their nexus.

The young women who are trafficked are usually deployed in sexual slavery, while the men and children are used as physical laborers.

Modes of induction

Allurement and Kidnapping being outdated modalities, digital trapping like “Hunting and Fishing” has evolved with technological advancement.

Modes of conduit into Myanmar

Myanmar is one of the deplorable nations which has several insecure borders, (hence preferred by such law offenders). There are several unshielded pathways leading into Myanmar, via jungle / small rivers and sometimes via dingy motorable roads.

In the present case, the victims were recruited mostly through fraudulent online modes (most of them were interviewed in Dubai), they were then directed to Thailand, from where the victims realized the truth of the phoney job racket.

These victims were taken to Myawaddy in Myanmar (from Bangkok in Thailand) through a land route. Unsurprisingly the route by these cabalas shall have dire grade security checks.

The Myawaddy – Mae Sot checkpoint border between Burma and Thailand is the most busiest among the two other checkpoints (Mae Sai/Tachileik Land Crossing and Kawthaung/Ranong Land Crossing).

Therefore, the tourist visa and a thorough security check which is mandatory in other checkpoints is rarely monitored here.

Slavery in the Thai fishing industry and other related stories.

Myanmar and India MoU to combat human trafficking

Although the Government of India and the Myanmar Junta had signed an agreement to counter the menace of Human trafficking on 27 Nov 2021, there has been no significant progress by the Myanmar Junta due to political turmoil in the nation.

This forces India to conduct surgical strikes, like the earlier operations called “Operation hot pursuit – 2016”.

Global Human trafficking latest status

There has been a consistent rise in (convictions and victimization of) human trafficking since 2003.

Modes to combat Human trafficking latest status

Establish specialized national anti-trafficking agencies with multidisciplinary expertise.
Strengthen supply chain integrity.
Address trafficking in persons facilitated by the use of the internet.
Address the conditions of vulnerabilities to trafficking in persons.
Focus on crime prevention as a key pillar of anti-trafficking strategies.
Ensure that victims are not punished for acts they commit as a result of trafficking.
Strengthen the implementation of the protection measures included in the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol.
Promote anti-trafficking policy development based on solid research and data.
Safeguard access to justice.

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