Instability in MENA is making migrants more vulnerable to new forms of trafficking 

Trafficking in persons remains one of the most pervasive and devastating crimes of our time. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the scale and complexity of the challenge continue to grow, driven by conflict, economic inequality, and complex migration flows. 

The fight against trafficking often focuses on those trapped in degrading work environments, the hospitality industry, construction work, or abuse in domestic servitude. This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons highlights an emerging trend: trafficking for forced criminality in online scam operations.  

Thousands worldwide are being deceived by fake job ads, transported to illegal compounds, and coerced into cyber-enabled fraud in slave-like, dehumanising conditions. Citizens of MENA countries, and the millions of migrants working here, are not immune from this new trend. 

Scam Centres are not isolated fraud schemes. They are part of wider trafficking and organized crime networks. Their roots are deeply intertwined with vulnerabilities on which traffickers prey, and which result in realities we see every day in MENA, including child trafficking, forced marriage and abuse labour arrangements. 

Across MENA, instability is reshaping mobility and deepening vulnerability. Conflict-affected areas - Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Lebanon and Occupied Palestinian Territory - have seen millions lose their homes and livelihoods. Displacement is not only a humanitarian crisis; it is a trafficking risk multiplier. 

The escalation of conflict in the Middle East and beyond is further straining fragile protection systems and compounding pre-existing vulnerabilities. IOM’s monitoring indicates that the crisis has contributed to large-scale displacement, increased cross-border movements, led to family separation and disrupted assistance services, including for migrants without proper documentation.  

Migrant workers stranded by crises - unable to return home or change employers - become easy targets for traffickers. In this environment, criminal networks exploit uncertainty, offering false promises of safety, employment, or transit. 

We saw this during other crises, and we fear it may happen again. 

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To dismantle the networks we must strengthen victim identification systems, provide protection, prosecute the criminals, and strengthen cross border cooperation on investigations.  

Governments across MENA are strengthening legal frameworks, improving victim identification, and expanding cross-border cooperation. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has intensified efforts to harmonize labour standards, strengthen recruitment oversight, and expand protections for migrant workers. Several GCC states have introduced reforms to reduce exploitative recruitment fees, regulate labour intermediaries, and expand channels for reporting abuse. 

The League of Arab States (LAS) has also stepped up regional coordination, supporting member states in developing national referral mechanisms, enhancing child protection systems, and advancing joint action against transnational trafficking networks. LAS has worked closely with IOM and other partners to promote unified legal frameworks and facilitate information-sharing across borders – essential in a region where trafficking networks operate transnationally. 

IOM is at the forefront of counter-trafficking efforts in MENA, combining specialised assistance for victims, enhancing prevention and working with governments to strengthen systems of identification and care.  On the ground, our staff are supporting victims with shelter, medical care, and psychosocial assistance. We work closely with governments, civil society agencies and partners to strengthen protection systems, assist victims, improve labour governance, and ensure that migrant workers have access to fair recruitment and grievance mechanisms. 

Trafficking thrives where governance is weak, where data and identification are scarce, and where at-risk individuals and communities lack protection. The MENA region has the opportunity and responsibility to lead. By investing in stronger institutions, expanding regional cooperation, and embracing data-driven solutions, we can protect those most at risk. 

Behind every scam operation are people whose hopes for a better future are being exploited by criminal networks. IOM stands with victims and survivors: to help identify them, support their protection and recovery, as well as to engage with survivors and work with partners towards dismantling the systems that keep them trapped.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.