Cambodia left trafficking victims freed in its scam-compound crackdown without papers, shelter or help, exposing them to re-trafficking, a UN report found.
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A UN Secretary-General report to the Human Rights Council on OHCHR's work in Cambodia (A/HRC/63/80, dated August 18, 2026, covering June 2025-May 2026) found that after the government's nationwide crackdown on online scam operations, announced in July 2025 and intensified into early 2026, 'mass releases of migrants, many of whom were victims of trafficking in persons, from scam centres created serious protection gaps,' leaving people without documentation, income, shelter or immediate assistance and heightening risks of re-trafficking and reprisals. It reported, citing information received, that victim identification and screening remained inconsistent, that the principle of not punishing victims for crimes they were forced to commit was not reliably applied, and that humanitarian partners' access to provide care and legal aid was uneven. The government also promulgated a Law on Combating Online Scams in April 2026.
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