Carla Ramos Miembro: From Cyber Slavery to Detention Centers – The Horrific Ordeal of a Trafficking Victim

Accident – Death – Obituary News : The trafficking of individuals for cyber slavery has become a widespread issue in Southeast Asia and beyond, with victims being promised office jobs only to be sold to organized crime syndicates. One such victim, Carla Ramos Miembro, experienced this terrifying ordeal firsthand. When she and 26 other Filipinos were intercepted by Cambodian police, who were initially thought to be rescuing them, they soon realized that their nightmare was far from over.

Ramos Miembro, 27, was stopped in September as a Chinese trafficking ring was taking her from a compound in northern Cambodia to Sihanoukville, a casino town on the southern coast. Instead of being freed, she and the other victims were treated just as badly by the police as they were by the traffickers. They were informed that the police were waiting for the mafia boss to pay a large sum of money to send them back to the traffickers.

This type of trafficking involves deceiving individuals into traveling overseas for seemingly respectable office jobs, only to be sold to organized crime syndicates. These syndicates often operate investment scams and fake online betting sites, with the cyberscam compounds being connected to licensed casinos. Evidence suggests that countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Ghana have also become hotspots for cyber slavery.

Once victims are sold and held in guarded compounds, they are forced to commit fraud under the threat of beatings and torture. They have little hope of escape, and even those who are rescued often find themselves trapped in dire conditions in detention centers for months on end while awaiting the processing of their cases. Victims who have broken immigration rules, such as overstaying visas while held against their will, may face penalties or prosecution.

Ramos Miembro’s ordeal began seven months earlier when she flew to Bangkok, believing she had a job in customer service for Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Instead, she was taken to an isolated compound in O’Smach, Cambodia, where she was held against her will. She was sold to a Chinese online scam gang that targeted people in the United Kingdom. Ramos Miembro was forced to send wrong-number texts to strangers for up to 20 hours a day, build rapport with them, and convince them to invest in a fake crypto platform.

During her time in captivity, Ramos Miembro witnessed severe beatings and torture inflicted on her fellow victims. Some victims even died as a result. Multiple victims have independently alleged that high-ranking police officers would enter the compound to collect bribes.

After being intercepted by Cambodian police while being transported to Sihanoukville, Ramos Miembro and the other victims were taken to a police department’s headquarters to be detained. However, they were treated like prisoners and forced to sleep on the floor without basic necessities.

For several days following their rescue, the victims were told by police that they would be sold back to the trafficking gang. It is becoming increasingly common for immigration police to orchestrate rescues with the intention of extracting bribes from the traffickers who want the victims back. Amnesty International has criticized the lack of information released by the Cambodian government and the dire conditions in detention centers.

Most victims rescued from cyber slavery compounds are transferred to immigration detention before they can return home. These detention centers often have dismal conditions, with victims being held alongside their traffickers. Survivors of trafficking should not be placed in detention centers but should be identified as victims and provided with proper housing and access to legal assistance.

The issue of cyber slavery is a grave violation of human rights and requires urgent attention and action from governments and international organizations to combat this heinous crime. The victims, like Ramos Miembro, deserve justice and support as they try to rebuild their lives after enduring such horrific experiences..