In response to the recent increasing number of Taiwanese nationals going to Cambodia to seek employment, but instead, fall prey to scammers and become victims of human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual exploitation (all of which are major human rights violations), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has been coordinating with various ministries of the Executive Yuan to provide humanitarian assistance to Cambodian victims.
The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) passed in 2000, includes "the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children," which serves as the ultimate guideline for combating human trafficking around the world, and it has defined human trafficking as a crime. The various forms of exploitation endured by the Taiwanese victims of the Cambodian scams, including violent coercion, human trafficking, and deprivation of physical liberty, have constituted a modern form of slavery.
The NHRC states that the government of Taiwan has assembled a special panel under the Executive Yuan which coordinates across ministries and works with international counterparts to rescue and provide humanitarian assistance for victims, fight crimes, and promote anti-scam awareness; the NHRC will continue to follow up on the latest developments.
Considering that Cambodia’s human trafficking incidents also include victims from other Chinese-speaking communities and Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan has taken the initiative to cooperate closely with other countries to facilitate cross-border rescues. In the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report published by the U.S. Department of State, Cambodia was downgraded from Tier 2 to Tier 3 for failing to meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking, indicating a lack of effective measures from the Cambodian government and its inability to deter human trafficking and related crimes.
To promote human rights and put them into practice as universal values, the NHRC calls on countries from all over the globe to work together in the fight against human trafficking and other inhuman or degrading treatment.