A Rwandan man who was lured abroad with promises of a well-paying job has shared a harrowing account of exploitation, torture and forced labour after falling victim to a human trafficking network.
His story comes amid growing concerns over the trafficking of Rwandans abroad, with authorities reporting that hundreds of victims have been rescued after being deceived through fake employment opportunities. Between July 2025 and March 2026, Rwanda repatriated 289 citizens who had been trafficked in different countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Oman.
The survivor told RBA that he travelled after being promised a job at a call centre in Thailand, only to discover after arrival that he had been taken to Myanmar, where he was forced into an online scam operation.
He said his ordeal began when recruiters changed details of the promised job and moved him through several locations before taking him to a remote area near the Thailand-Myanmar border.
After arriving, he realised the work was not the legitimate customer service job he had been promised, but an operation involving online romance scams, where workers were instructed to deceive people using prepared scripts.
He said those who failed to follow the instructions or made mistakes were subjected to harsh punishment by supervisors.
The survivor described being beaten, forced to endure long hours in difficult conditions and subjected to other forms of abuse intended to punish and intimidate workers.
After months of being trapped in the network, he eventually pleaded for his release and began efforts to return home. However, he said the journey became complicated after he was taken to a military facility in Myanmar, where he found other foreigners who were also unable to leave.
He said it took about five months before he received assistance through cooperation involving Rwanda’s diplomatic authorities and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), allowing him to return home.
He urged Rwandans seeking employment abroad to carefully verify job offers, consult trusted people and share information about their destination and intended work with family members and authorities before travelling.
Authorities have warned that traffickers often use false promises of well-paying jobs abroad to lure victims into exploitation, with many later forced into illegal activities.
In Rwanda, 54 people have been convicted of human trafficking offences over the past three years, including 24 cases in 2023, 18 in 2024 and 12 in 2025.
The Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE) has also reported cases involving Rwandan children trafficked abroad. In 2025, 45 children were rescued from Uganda after being promised opportunities overseas.
DGIE also revealed that 28 Rwandan children taken to South Korea by a pastor are being followed up as authorities work to ensure their safe return.
Globally, human trafficking remains a major human rights challenge, with millions of people exploited through forced labour and other forms of abuse every year. Forced labour accounts for the largest share of trafficking cases, while children and women remain among the most affected groups.
