Myanmar Frees Ugandan Trafficking Victim, 20 Others Await Return

The release marks progress in Uganda's diplomatic efforts to secure the freedom of citizens reportedly lured abroad by fraudulent employment opportunities before being forced to participate in organised online financial scams. According to Ayebare, Adupe and 20 other detained Ugandans were expected to be formally handed over to Uganda's Ambassador to Malaysia, Betty Bigombe, who is also accredited to Myanmar, in Yangon the following week.

Adupe, a graduate of Biosystems Engineering from Gulu University, had attained a Second-Class Upper degree with a cumulative grade point average of 4.35. His academic specialisation reportedly included renewable energy and food security. An orphan from Pader District in northern Uganda, Adupe overcame considerable financial hardship to complete his education, undertaking activities such as working on school farms and moulding bricks to raise money for his studies.

The recruitment of Ugandans into forced cybercrime operations is part of a wider transnational trafficking crisis affecting Southeast Asia. Criminal networks reportedly use social media platforms, online recruitment advertisements and personal connections to attract unsuspecting jobseekers with promises of well-paid employment in information technology, customer service, digital marketing, data entry and hospitality. Some recruits are initially promised jobs in Thailand or other regional destinations but are subsequently transported across borders into Myanmar.

Survivors and human rights monitors have documented allegations of restricted movement, excessive working hours, physical violence, threats, torture and other forms of coercion against people who refuse to participate in the criminal activities or fail to meet imposed targets. The United Nations has warned that forced criminality in Southeast Asian scam compounds has developed into a major human rights and humanitarian crisis.

Adupe's release follows several previous operations through which Uganda has secured the return of nationals trapped in Myanmar's scam compounds. In May 2024, 23 Ugandans returned home following diplomatic negotiations involving Uganda, Myanmar and regional partners, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A further 26 Ugandans were repatriated in May 2025 through the Uganda High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

The continued recruitment of Ugandans into fraudulent overseas employment schemes points to weaknesses in public awareness, recruitment oversight, migrant-worker protection and international law-enforcement cooperation. Uganda's Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2009 (as amended), provides the principal legal framework for combating human trafficking, with a maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment for trafficking offences.

Key points

• - Adupe's release marks progress in Uganda's diplomatic efforts to secure the freedom of citizens trafficked into forced online scam operations in Myanmar. - The recruitment of Ugandans into forced cybercrime operations is part of a wider transnational trafficking crisis affecting Southeast Asia. - Uganda's Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2009, provides the principal legal framework for combating human trafficking.