Published on: 2026-06-17
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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A student from the Republic of Korea thought he had found an opportunity to work abroad. Instead, the young man ended up at an online fraud center, where he died after severe torture. The story shocked the country and became a vivid example of how human trafficking is changing in the digital age. Permanent Representative of South Korea to the UN Ji Hyun Cha spoke about this at an event dedicated to the establishment of a Friends Group to combat human trafficking using technology.
Today, trading people increasingly begins not with street acquaintances or searching for a person at a bus stop. More and more often, these are messages in messengers, online advertisements, contacts in social networks, and promises supported by realistic photos and videos. Experts also warn that children are becoming increasingly vulnerable to online grooming, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violence carried out with the help of digital technologies.
At the event at the UN headquarters dedicated to the inauguration of the new international alliance, diplomats and UN agency representatives described a situation in which organized criminal groups adapt to new realities faster than states and law enforcement agencies.
Centers of criminal activity
According to data provided by Monica Zuum, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), at least 300,000 people from more than 70 countries have reportedly become victims of human trafficking andwere involved in the activities of fraudulent centers. People locked inside large complexes are forced to participate in schemes of internet fraud, deceiving people all over the world.
At the same time, Australia’s permanent representative James Larsen warned that such centers rarely engage only in such fraud. According to him, these are “nodes of polycriminal activity” related not only to human trafficking and labor exploitation, but also to illegal drug trafficking, money laundering, and other forms.transnational organized crime.
Juma also noted that criminals increasingly use artificial intelligence for automating fraudulent schemes, concealing identities, and creating convincing fake content, which allows criminal networks to operate with unprecedented speed and anonymity.
Only in Southeast Asia, according to UNODC estimates, such criminal structures annually receive up to 37 billion US dollars in revenue. However, behind these figures are real people, many of whom never intended to participate in illegal activities.
Permanent Representative of Vietnam Do Hung Vu told about a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly widespread: fake advertisements for attractive jobs abroad.
“What begins with a single click of the mouse can quickly lead to exploitation, coercion, and violence. This reality demands adaptation from us. As criminal networks become increasingly sophisticated, we must use technologies more effectively for prevention, investigation, victim identification, and provision of support,” he stated.
The Vietnamese diplomat also reminded of the UN Convention against Cybercrime, known as the Hanoi Convention, calling it a reliable basis and a practical instrument for international cooperation in combating crimes related to human trafficking and the use of technologies. According to him, the document was signed by 72 states during the ceremony in Hanoi in October last year, and then five more countries joined them.
Support aimed at the interests of victims
Chetchai Chaivavit, Permanent Representative of Thailand – a country located at the crossroads of regional migration and trade routes, – cited an example of practical measures of response.
Since February 2025, the authorities of Thailand, together with embassies, international organizations, and civil society groups, have helped repatriate more than 13,000 people from over 40 countries. They were rescued from fraudulent regional centers. The ambassador emphasized that people found in such centers cannot automatically be considered criminals.
“Our approach is oriented towards the interests of the victims and takes into account the trauma they have experienced. We also apply the principle of non-punishment within the framework of national referral mechanisms to effectively identify victims and distinguish them from perpetrators,” he added.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil Norberto Moretti warned that many victims do not immediately realize that they have become objects of human trafficking. Some continue to cooperate with criminal networks because they are under pressure or control. In the opinion of the Brazilian diplomat, investigations should focus on identifying signs of coercion and exploitation, rather than criminalizing the victims.
“Moreover, since women and girls make up 61 percent of identified victims of human trafficking worldwide and nearly 92 percent of victimssexual exploitation, it is extremely important to take into account the disproportionately high impact of this type of crime on children,” he emphasized.
Digital solutions
While criminals effectively cooperate at the international level, governments often lag behind them. The technologies used to exploit people are developing rapidly. However, the situation is beginning to change. Analysis of data, digital materials, more operational exchange of information, and coordinated actions can help dismantle criminal networks. The main question is whether states will be able to act as swiftly as the criminals themselves.
Permanent representative of the Netherlands Lize Greguar Van Haaren gave an example of how technology can become part of the solution to the problem. The Dutch police participated in an international hackathon together with law enforcement agencies of other countries and used proactive analysis of digital platforms to identify cases of “electronic pimping” – advertising and exploitation of people for sexual purposes through the internet. After that, investigators, together with municipalities, social services, and private organizations, worked on identifying potential victims and providing them with assistance.
In Singapore, the authorities have created an operational center to combat fraud, which directly interacts with banks, payment systems, and technology companies to detect and prevent fraudulent operations in real-time mode. Permanent representative Buran Gafur noted that such public-private partnerships have become indispensable, as criminal networks move money and exploit people through digital platforms faster than traditional investigative agencies can respond.
The Permanent Representative of the Philippines Enrique Manalo spoke about a centralized database for combating human trafficking, designed for tracking cases, identifying trends, and supporting decision-making in the country. He also noted the strengthening of cooperation between the police, prosecution, social workers, and international partners, especially in cases related to the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.
In turn, the representative of Kazakhstan Alimzhan Surankulov highlighted the important role of technological companies, financial institutions, and civil society in identifying suspicious activities, preventing online recruitment, and providing assistance to victims.
“Our response must remain firmly focused on the interests of the victims and based on human rights. Special attention should be paid to children, women, migrants, and other vulnerable population groups,” he said.
Global efforts
The representative of the Russian Federation, Maksim Kuzevich, emphasized that criminal groups are increasingly using digital technologies and artificial intelligence to facilitate illegal activities. At the same time, he noted that the new Group of Friends should complement, not duplicate, existing UN mechanisms, in particular the Group of Friends on combating human trafficking chaired by Belarus.
Speaking with the concluding word on behalf of the Inter-agency Coordination Group on Combating Human Trafficking, UNICEF specialist for child protection Katrin Kokko emphasized that although technologies are used by criminal networks for harm, they can also serve as tools for prevention, investigations, and victim support.
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According to UNISEF data, children make up one third of all identified victims of human trafficking worldwide.
“When developing measures to respond to human trafficking using technology, we must ensure that children and their rights are not sidelined, but become the focus of policies, prevention, protection, and accountability mechanisms,” she emphasized.
A new Friends Group is designed to help states exchange information, coordinate actions, and develop common approaches to combating crime, which increasingly begins on the Internet and goes far beyond national borders. In the opinion of the participants, if criminals master new technologies, international cooperation, digital innovations, and victim protection mechanisms must develop just as quickly.
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