JAKARTA - Amnesty International said on June 8 that Cambodia’s crackdown on scam compounds had failed to dismantle most identified sites or protect many trafficking survivors, after its latest research identified 86 compounds and found evidence of state intervention at only 24.

The 150-page report adds 33 newly identified compounds to Amnesty’s previous research and includes testimony from 73 survivors from 16 countries who were held in compounds during the crackdown.

Cambodia launched its largest crackdown on scam operations in July 2025, after Amnesty reported more than 50 compounds where it said slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and torture were widespread. Cambodian authorities have since claimed to have shut down more than 200 scam centres, according to Amnesty.

“The Cambodian government’s total lack of transparency makes it impossible to verify their claims and undermines trust in the entire process,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s co-regional director.

Amnesty said the new evidence raised doubts about the crackdown’s impact. Of the 86 compounds it identified, the group found evidence of state intervention at only 24. It also obtained evidence of mass releases and escapes at seven additional compounds.

Survivors told Amnesty they were moved between compounds during the crackdown, abandoned after leaving sites, threatened by police or left without shelter, healthcare or legal support. Amnesty said none of the 73 survivors it interviewed had been recognized as a trafficking victim, though it assessed that all met the internationally recognized definition.

The survivors came from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Morocco, Niger, Uganda and Venezuela. Their accounts included forced labour, torture, sexual violence and movement between sites to avoid police action, Amnesty said.

Amnesty said survivor accounts pointed to apparent collusion between police and compound managers, including advance warnings of interventions and continued abuse after officials visited some sites. The Cambodian government did not respond to Amnesty’s questions, according to the report.

UNODC said in April 2025 that hundreds of industrial-scale scam centres in Southeast Asia generated just under US$40 billion in annual profits, its latest regional estimate. For Cambodia specifically, Reuters reported in June 2025, citing the United States Institute of Peace, that the scam industry generated more than US$12.5 billion a year, equal to about half of the country’s GDP.