23–27 February 2026 • Colombo, Sri Lanka
Transnational organised crime networks running cyber-scam centres across Southeast Asia are working to recruit potential victims through an expanding mix of channels, from false online job advertisements to friend and family networks that unwitting participants – and sometimes knowing perpetrators – have been drawn into. In South Asia, youth unemployment and precarious livelihoods fuel outward migration pressure and heighten vulnerability to fraudulent job offers, making the region both a significant source country for recruitment and an important focus for upstream prevention efforts.
The Regional Support Office of the Bali Process (RSO), in collaboration with Freedom Collaborative, convened a series of prevention-focused engagements in Colombo, Sri Lanka over 23–27 February 2026, as part of the Strengthening Prevention, Identification, and Survivor Empowerment in Cyber-Enabled Scam Trafficking project. The Colombo engagements followed from a corresponding series of events held in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this month, together aiming to strengthen responses in known origin and transit hubs for individuals at risk of being trafficked into forced criminality.
Throughout the week, the RSO and Freedom Collaborative hosted three events in Colombo:
- Workshop on Strengthening Sri Lankan Immigration Officers’ Capacity to Prevent Trafficking for Forced Criminality into Cyber-Scam Centres
- Briefing on Trafficking for Forced Criminality for ASEAN Consular and Visa-Issuing Officers in South Asia for visa-issuing and consular officers from ASEAN diplomatic missions based across South Asia
- Ideation Workshop to Strengthen Prevention Response of Trafficking for Forced Criminality into Cyber-Scam Centres, bringing together civil society organisations (CSOs) from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka
The week’s events engaged immigration officers, consular officers and CSO representatives through a coordinated series of events, supporting the development of new cross-sectoral relationships, and laying the groundwork for more coordinated prevention efforts, as well as responses to trafficking and transnational organised crime more broadly.
The capacity-building workshop brought together 30 Sri Lankan immigration officers to strengthen understanding of red flag indicators when conducting both entry and exit screening at the border, explore evolving trends in trafficking for forced criminality into cyber-scam centres, and support timely information-sharing with immigration counterparts across borders.
The workshop was opened with remarks from Mr. I. Chaminda Pathiraja, Controller General of Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration and Emigration, highlighting the importance of strengthening frontline immigration capacity to identify and prevent trafficking risks.
Using scenario-based case studies, the workshop built officers’ capacity to recognise trafficking risk indicators during routine inbound and outbound screening, including individuals with unclear travel intentions, third-party travel arrangements, or travel histories connecting South Asia to known cyber-scam centre hubs in Southeast Asia. By applying risk-based screening approaches that also respect the rights of travellers, immigration services can both identify potential victims before exploitation occurs, and support awareness-raising efforts through share information with potentially vulnerable travellers prior to departure.
Held at the British High Commission in Colombo, the RSO and Freedom Collaborative also held a briefing for 35 visa-issuing and consular officers from ASEAN diplomatic missions based in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh—including representatives from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand—on how indicators of trafficking for forced criminality into cyber-scam centres recruitment may be visible within visa applications. Participants reported having already observed application patterns consistent with the risk indicators discussed, reinforcing the practical relevance of building structured awareness and information-sharing practices into existing workflows.
Frontline civil society organisations can play an important role in identifying deceptive recruitment and coercion, sharing evidence-based risk information, and supporting informed, safer migration decisions to reduce vulnerability to trafficking for forced criminality. A two-day ideation workshop brought together 16 civil society representatives from eight CSOs across Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to co-develop targeted prevention campaign materials for use in their local contexts. Drawing on their unique expertise and grounded in local realities, participants worked collaboratively to build messaging that responds to the specific recruitment dynamics and vulnerability factors present across South Asia.
1. Cyber-scam centre operations are spreading into South Asia, with indications of displacement from Southeast Asia
Discussions across all three events pointed to growing evidence that cyber-scam centre operations are no longer confined to Southeast Asia, with indications that criminal activities and networks are expanding into South Asia. Participants noted patterns consistent with a displacement effect, as increased law enforcement pressure and policy responses in parts of Southeast Asia appear to be prompting some operations to relocate or establish new centres in countries where awareness, regulatory frameworks, and enforcement capacity are still developing. This trend reinforces the importance of extending prevention, identification, and coordination efforts beyond Southeast Asia and into the origin and transit countries where these operations are taking root.
2. South Asia’s distinct vulnerabilities call for regionally tailored prevention approaches
Country presentations from Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani CSOs during the ideation workshop highlighted how structural factors specific to South Asia—including high youth unemployment, education-to-employment gaps, and societal expectations around migration—These patterns underscore the importance of developing prevention messaging and outreach strategies that are grounded in local realities rather than adapted from frameworks designed for other contexts.
3. Consular and visa-issuing processes represent a significant and largely untapped opportunity for early identification of trafficking in persons risks
Consular and visa-issuing officers noted that targeted briefings on trafficking for forced criminality have not frequently been held in the region, despite the fact that visa application and interview processes bring officers into direct contact with individuals who may be at risk. Officers reported having already observed application patterns consistent with the risk indicators discussed during the briefing, reinforcing the value of building structured awareness and information-sharing practices into existing consular and visa-issuing workflows.
The RSO and Freedom Collaborative will finalise and roll out prevention messaging developed through the Nairobi and Colombo ideation workshops. Drawing directly on civil society input, these materials will be refined and disseminated across online platforms, including social media channels, to help at-risk individuals recognise deceptive recruitment practices before departure.
In parallel, the RSO plans to conduct a dedicated briefing targeting immigration officers in Bangladesh to further strengthen early identification of trafficking for forced criminality linked to cyber-scam centres, reinforcing frontline prevention capacities at key origin and transit points.
