The authorities in Rwanda intervened after several of its citizens who were stranded in Southeast Asia reached out to one of the country's social media influencers for help. The Rwandans said they were trapped in Myanmar and Laos after traveling there to work.

The influencer, Richard Kwizera, tagged the government on his platforms. Ten of the Rwandans have since been repatriated.

"There are dozens of Rwandan nationals trafficked to Southeast Asian countries, especially Myanmar and Laos, who are appealing to the Rwandan government to help facilitate their return home," Kwizera told DW.

They were victims of job scams, he said. 

Targeted by job fraudsters

In Rwanda, fraudsters who offer jobs and other opportunities abroad and solicit money from unsuspecting people are becoming increasingly active. Some promise scholarships in Europe, the US, Canada or Australia. Some operate out of offices in the capital, Kigali, or out of so-called "briefcase offices."

Young people from countries in East Africa who travel to Asia and the Middle East for jobs often find themselves being forced into commercial sex work and other dangerous occupations.

Although the Rwandan government has not provided the total number of nationals on the repatriation scheme, it has expressed concern over what it says are illegal recruitments and human trafficking.

On X, government spokesperson Yolande Makolo responded to Kwizera on May 3, saying: "The Government, working with IOM [International Organization for Migration], has this past week repatriated 10 victims of trafficking from Myanmar." 

"We are aware of 5 more who are still there and we are working to bring them home," she added.

Trapped incommunicado in Asia

According to Kwizera, some Rwandans are trapped in Southeast Asia without any means of communicating with the outside world.

"There are some who are still in these countries and upon arrival at the airports in these countries, their phones and passports were confiscated, putting their lives at risk," he told DW.

DW has been unable to reach any of the Rwandans who were repatriated or those still reported trapped in Southeast Asia to hear about their experience. Although the nature of the work they were recruited for is unclear, it is widely believed that they were exploited by Rwandans and people in Myanmar and Laos.

The Rwanda Workers' Trade Union Confederation (CESTRAR) told DW they were unaware of the situation in Southeast Asia and unable to assist. It says its focus is on advocating for workers' rights within Rwanda. 

"This issue has never been brought to our attention for sure. I will then need to search for more information and understand their situation before I can say anything about it," Afracain of Biraboneye, the CESTRAR Secretary General, said.

A survey by the National Institute of Statistics (NSIR) in Rwanda shows unemployment at 14.9% in 2024 — a decrease of 2.3% on the previous year. 

Over the past five years, there have reports of human trafficking and forced labor in Rwanda and involving Rwandans in other parts of the world.

Identifying forced labor is difficult

Men, women, and children are trafficked for forced domestic and sex work, as well as labor in the agricultural, mining, industrial, and service sectors, according to human rights groups.

Child labor is most prevalent in agriculture, illegal mining and construction. Traffickers in Rwanda are known to ensnare young adults into sex work at hotels, bars or restaurants by using fraudulent marriage contracts.

In 2018, Rwanda enacted legislation to prevent and punish exploitation and human trafficking. Although the country has made significant efforts to address the issue, it still falls short of the minimum standards for eliminating the crime, according to a 2024 US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report. 

The IOM has trained the country's law enforcement officers, and a national countertrafficking committee convenes regularly. But experts say the country still meets only mimimum standards for the elimination of the crime. 

According to Rwanda-based NGOs and the trade union federation CESTRAR, identifying forced labor and trafficking is difficult because of cultural norms and minimized workers' rights. 

Edited by: Benita van Eyssen