Over the past few years, Southeast Asia has emerged as the epicentre of a ne w and deeply troubling trend cyber slavery . Across Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, thousands of individuals, including Indian nationals, have been lured and trafficked through fake online job offers and subsequently coerced to run digital scam operations. W hat began as isolated incidents a few years ago has now evolved into a large scale, organised crime network that blends human trafficking, cybercrime and online fraud, and money laundering.
This development highlights a critical gap in regional security. Southeast Asia’s digital transformation has far outpaced its regulatory and cybersecurity preparedness. Cyber slavery thrives on weak enforcement, fragmented information sharing, and limited cross border coordination exposing the inadequacy of existing fr ameworks to tackle a crime that is simultaneously digital, transnational, and humanitarian.
Rationale
For India, cyber slavery is not a distant phenomenon. According to the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), around 48 per cent of financial fraud s in India originate from these Southeast Asian scam centres. Several Indian nationals reportedly work at these centres. The recent rescues of some Indian citizens from the scam centres in Myanmar and Cambodia have underscored the need for stronger cyber defences and more structured cooperation with Southeast Asian partners. The phenomenon is not only a human trafficking concern but also a cybersecurity and governance challenge. Strengthening cybersecurity mechanisms from CERT to CERT cooperation and early warning systems to digital forensics and financial tracking are critical in addressing this evolving threat.
In this context, the Observer Research Foundation proposes a day long closed door workshop in Kolkata aimed at unpacking the multifaceted natur e of this evolving phenomenon. The proposed hybrid workshop will convene Indian government officials, diplomats from Southeast Asia, concerned law enforcement agencies, State Police, subject matter experts, and academicians.
Objectives
The proposed one day workshop aims to:
