Africa Daily

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


Listen Later

"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.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Africa DailyBy BBC World Service

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

163 ratings


More shows like Africa Daily

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,395 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,837 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,894 Listeners

Economist Podcasts by The Economist

Economist Podcasts

4,262 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

536 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,814 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,117 Listeners

Focus on Africa by BBC World Service

Focus on Africa

373 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

289 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,065 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,051 Listeners

The China in Africa Podcast by The China-Global South Project

The China in Africa Podcast

208 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

374 Listeners

Al Jazeera News Updates by Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera News Updates

232 Listeners

The Take by Al Jazeera

The Take

467 Listeners

Into Africa by CSIS  |  Center for Strategic and International Studies

Into Africa

144 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

723 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,961 Listeners

The Horn by International Crisis Group

The Horn

62 Listeners

Cover by BBC Radio 5 Live

Cover

303 Listeners

Hold Your Fire! by International Crisis Group

Hold Your Fire!

62 Listeners

The Inside Story Podcast by Al Jazeera

The Inside Story Podcast

121 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

204 Listeners