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Episode details

World Service,25 Mar 2025,21 mins

How did the promise of work lead Africans into scam centres in Myanmar?

Africa Daily

Available for over a year

"It was hell. The worst seven months of my life. I was beaten, humiliated, electrocuted." Jalil Muyeke thought he was travelling to Thailand for a dream job. Instead, he was trafficked to Myanmar, imprisoned in a scam centre, and forced to commit online fraud under the threat of violence. An estimated 100,000 people fell victim to these operations run by Chinese crime groups. Jalil endured seven months of beatings and abuse before finally finding a way out. He eventually had to pay for his own flight back home and was fined 1,500 Thai Baht for overstaying his visa, which is approximately 44 dollars - a small price to pay to be swiftly reunited with his family in Uganda. But thousands are still stuck in Myanmar today, with many African governments unwilling to pay to bring their citizens home. Alan Kasujja speaks to Jalil, who survived the ordeal, to find out how he was tricked, what life was like inside, and how he made it out.

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