A Turning Point for Trafficking Victims in Scam Compounds At the UN Multi-Stakeholder Hearing in New York on June 30, 2025, Catherine Kirkendall, Executive Director of Hagar International’s US office, delivered a powerful address calling for urgent international action to address forced scamming, a growing form of human trafficking for forced criminality. “This is not just financial fraud. It’s modern-day slavery happening online and offline — and it’s criminalizing the very people who need rescue.” – Catherine Kirkendall What Is