Target: Li Qiang, Premier of the People’s Republic of China
Goal: Increase China’s role in ending scam centers that function through human trafficking.
Most internet users have received emails or other correspondence promising vast sums of money if the user takes certain steps. While many of these correspondences end up in online trash bins, the scams nevertheless rake in tens of billions of dollars a year. But the targets of these scams are not the only victims. The nameless and faceless individuals tasked with deceiving them are often living their own version of hell.
Many online scams originate in Asia, and in particular around the border between Thailand and war-ravaged Myanmar. The Thai government has launched an offensive against scam centers: places where countless rescued survivors claim they were lured with promises of high-paying jobs in a variety of professions. Instead, these individuals were allegedly kidnapped, trafficked, and forced to work at the centers participating in online scams.
“When I refused, I was tortured. They tied both my hands to a pole. Then they beat me. Shocked me with electric probes.” This chilling anecdote came from just one reported hostage of the scam centers. According to other reports, individuals worked the centers with no payment and under constant threat of abuse if they did not meet daily “quotas” for money brought in from the scams. Sometimes, the enslaved workers were even sold to other centers.
The Thai investigation has liberated roughly 7,000 people, many of whom were seemingly coerced from other countries. The most high-profile case involved a Chinese actor who was apparently abducted following a phony casting call. After pressure from Chinese officials, this incident reportedly spurred the Thai government to action. But China should be taking its own decisive role in ending these widespread abuses. Reports indicate that Chinese gangs may be the primary forces behind the centers.
Sign the petition below to compel China to take urgent action in resolving this humanitarian crisis.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Premier Li,
“They’re punishing people like animals. Torturing without any reason.” One traumatized victim of the alleged scam centers rampant in Thailand and Myanmar spoke for thousands of reported victims. A notable percentage of the individuals rescued from these centers came from China. And an even greater number of the criminals believed to be operating the enslavement facilities may be of Chinese descent.
If China’s criminal gangs are indeed facilitating this widespread human trafficking operation, then China – not Thailand – should take responsibility for holding these alleged wrong-doers accountable. Please work extensively with Thai leaders to bring justice for the victimized in China and around the world.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tasha Jolley
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