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The Collapse of USAID Is Already Fueling Human Trafficking and Slavery at Scammer Compounds
The dismantling of USAID by Elon Musk's DOGE and a State Department funding freeze have severely disrupted efforts to help people escape forced labor camps run by criminal scammers.
Law enforcement efforts in Southeast Asia to tackle scam compounds and the criminal organizations heavily profiting from them have sometimes made progress, but have also been widely criticized for corruptionand failing to comprehensively deal with the problem. Macher, who has been running working groups with members of her network over the last week, says some survivors of scam compounds are being given assistance to return home; however, shelters that temporarily house them and provide care have been impacted. Some of the funding cuts impact programs designed to help identify potential criminals and assist local law enforcement efforts, according to one government affairs official at an international NGO with multiple US grants.
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