MODERN slavery, in the form of human trafficking, is among the state’s gravest failures. Scores of Pakistanis are trafficked annually, yet the conviction rate for those who traffick them remains low. This World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, under the theme ‘Trapped behind a scam’, focuses on the rising “form of trafficking in persons for forced criminality”. It is linked to financial scams, corruption, money-laundering and cybercrime. The UN drugs and crime agency says that, at present, over 300,000 people are stuck in Southeast Asia’s scam centres. While the region has long been a hub of the menace, the extent of the criminal network became apparent last year when victims from 80 countries were identified. UNODC wants more measures, including cross-border judicial and law-enforcement support, to protect victims and dismantle transnational crime rings.

Human traffickers thrive amidst conflict and socioeconomic despair. Desperate people fall for fake job offers placed through ‘legal’ companies, followed by ‘professional’ interviews and contracts. But their destination is a cruel scam compound where they face isolation, threats, debt bondage, torture and sexual abuse. Pakistan should take this as a warning, and collaborate with Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka in their attempts to end this kind of trafficking. For this, it is essential for the state to accept that a culture of impunity is forcing the poor out. Besides the lack of job opportunities, corrupt officers, legal loopholes, political patronage and weak enforcement of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018, and the Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Act, 2018, create miserable conditions. The need for reforms is dire, as is the training and resourcing of security forces — all focused on victim safety and rehabilitation. The brutality of human trade does not invite public outrage because the government has been unsuccessful in raising awareness. As a result, the country has compromised cititzens’ safety and diminished its international image.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2026