Over the last few years, instances of skilled Indian workers being trafficked, enslaved, and brutalised in cyber-scam operations across the Golden Triangle — Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos — have been on the rise.

In these cyber-slave camps, they endure forced labour, physical abuse, and psychological torture. Some manage to escape, risking their lives or paying extortionate ransoms, while others return home empty-handed scarred by their ordeal.

Despite thousands being rescued or repatriated — earlier this month, hundreds were flown back on Indian Air Force flights — the trafficking pipeline remains intact. Unemployment and outdated emigration laws influence labour migrants to seek jobs in extremely dangerous workplaces.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for July 2023–June 2024 underscores the absence of sufficient secure, sustainable livelihoods. Indeed, the manufacturing sector, which should be the backbone of employment generation, has shown no growth in job creation compared to previous years.

The chilling testimonies I have recorded from........

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