Additional Context: This information was collected by Amnesty International in the yearly 'State of the World's Human Rights' report. Amnesty claims that USAID cuts "devastated" the sector, with no state response to make up for losses affecting shelters or victim assistance.

Devex Researcher Note: At least $13 million in funds for USAID's Counter Trafficking in Persons, or CTIP, work were terminated. Cuts coincide with a U.S. recognition that the Cambodian government is not making sufficient efforts to eliminate the severe human trafficking crisis in the country.

According to local independent reporting, over nine local organizations were affected by cuts, scaling down the number of country offices, laying off staff, discontinuing victim tracking and repatriation programs, legal and livelihoods support, and reintegration programs. As of April 2026, Amnesty reports there is only one active shelter for victims of scam compounds in Cambodia, with capacity for just 100 individuals. These cuts come at the same time as the U.N. warns of the proliferation of scam farms and associated human trafficking practices across Southeast Asian countries, which are rapidly becoming a "human rights crisis".

Source: Amnesty International