The Human Trace

Guest: Ling Li Summary In this conversation, Helen Avadiar-Nimbalker speaks with investigative journalist Ling Li and advocate Michelle B.J. Moore about the complexities of the scam industry in Southeast Asia, which intertwines with human trafficking, organized crime, and exploitation. They discuss the brutal realities faced by victims, the challenges of rescue operations, and the urgent need for...

Guest: Yasmin Ullah (https://www.instagram.com/rohingyawomencollaborative/) This conversation delves into the plight of the Rohingya people, exploring their identity crisis, personal journeys of displacement and the human element of refugee experiences. Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya human rights activist, shares her insights on the historical context of the Rohingya's struggles, the importance of...

With guest Tehmina Kaoosji. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehmina-kaoosji/ Independent Broadcast Journalist, Partner & Comms Director, TBP Communications & Gender Equity Activist In this episode of The Human Trace , journalist and gender equity advocate Tehmina Kaoosji joins us for a grounded conversation on gender-based violence, social inequality, and the critical role of media in shaping...

With Kamal Raj of Cross Global Asia Foundation This week on The Human Trace , we sit down with Kamal Raj — justice advocate and founder of Cross Global Asia Foundation — to uncover how the caste system, one of the oldest forms of systemic oppression, continues to shape modern-day exploitation. From manual scavenging to bonded labour, Kamal breaks down how caste hierarchies intersect with class, po...

with Heidy Quah (@heidyquah | Refuge for the Refugees) In this episode of The Human Trace , we speak with a dedicated human rights activist Heidy Quah about the hidden war on refugees and undocumented communities in Malaysia and beyond. We go beyond headlines — into detention centres, into hospitals where legal status dictates access and into the systems that criminalise survival. Heidy breaks dow...

With co-host: Dr Hartini Zainudin Millions of children around the world are legally invisible — unregistered at birth, excluded from healthcare, education, and protection. In this episode of The Human Trace , child rights advocate Dr. Hartini Zainudin breaks down the systemic failures that leave stateless, undocumented and marginalised children without access to basic survival needs. We examine ho...

 With Dr. Lauren Pinkston (@laurenmpinkston | upwardlydependent.com ) What starts as a trade policy decision in one country can trigger job losses, migration, and exploitation in another. In this episode of The Human Trace , we unpack how global economic shifts like tariffs, sanctions and conflict quietly destabilise livelihoods and push vulnerable communities closer to harm. From supply chains to...

Part 2 of The Human Cost of Scam Centers Guest: Erin West, Founder of Operation Shamrock (https://operationshamrock.org/) Scam centers have become one of the fastest-growing forms of organised crime — but behind the fake accounts and stolen money is a darker reality: people trafficked, tortured, and forced to commit fraud under threat of violence. In this episode, Helen is joined by co-host Mechel...

When the earthquake hit Myanmar, the world briefly looked up — but what it exposed was far more devastating than collapsed buildings. Behind the natural disaster is a man-made crisis: a brutal civil war, forced migration, displacement, and the silent collapse of a nation. In this episode, we go deeper — beyond the quake — to trace the unspoken layers of violence, survival, and political failure in...

Scam centers are flooding headlines — but what’s really going on behind the screens? In this first episode of The Human Trace , Helen Avadiar-Nimbalker is joined by friends and co-thinkers Mechelle Moore and BC Tan to unpack the hidden realities behind scam centers: forced criminality, trafficking, torture, and the growing underground economy built on human suffering. This conversation explores th...