Asean vows action on human traffickers operating online

Asean leaders attending the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Labuan Bajo on May 10, 2023. The Asean regional bloc adopted a declaration pledging to ‘strengthen cooperation and coordination’ to catch traffickers and identify victims. — AFP

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia: South-East Asian nations vowed May 10 tougher action on human trafficking as criminals increasingly use social media and other online platforms to recruit and exploit victims.

International alarm is growing over Internet scams in the region that are often staffed by trafficking victims tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments.