The United Kingdom (UK) has pledged financial support to dismantle transnational scam compounds in Southeast Asia as part of a broader package of measures aimed at tackling organised crime, online abuse and cross-border criminal networks.
The commitment was announced by Alex Davies-Jones, the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Victims, Violence Against Women and Girls and International Justice, in the country’s national statement at the United Nations Crime Congress in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, September 27.
Davies-Jones said the funding would run between 2026 and 2031 and strengthen international efforts against fraud.
“With a view to advancing crime prevention and criminal justice, I pledge that, between 2026 and 2031, the UK will provide financial support to dismantle transnational scam compounds in Southeast Asia and strengthen our collective response to fraud,” she said.
The announcement comes as scam compounds have become a major feature of transnational fraud, with criminal networks using online platforms and cross-border operations to target victims.
Davies-Jones said organised crime was becoming “ever more organised” and “ever more sophisticated”, making international cooperation essential.
The minister also pledged continued UK support for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention.
The UK has also committed £1.5m in the current financial year to technical assistance and initiatives focused on countering organised crime.
Digital evidence was another focus of the speech, with Davies-Jones arguing that criminal investigations increasingly depend on access to data held on digital platforms.
She said the UK would prioritise ensuring law-enforcement agencies can access relevant data while maintaining appropriate oversight.
The government also announced further measures aimed at protecting children from technology-facilitated sexual abuse.
Davies-Jones pledged that the UK would introduce effective protections on phones and tablets to prevent children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images, with legislation to enforce compliance if necessary.
The commitment builds on measures announced by the UK government in June, when it said technology companies would be expected to activate or introduce safeguards capable of detecting and blocking nude images on children’s devices.
The government later announced plans to prepare legislation requiring stronger device-level protections after concluding that progress by technology companies had not gone far enough.
The proposed measures would require protections to operate across device features, including cameras and third-party applications, with age assurance for adults seeking access to nude content.
Davies-Jones also pledged a call for evidence on online misogynistic image-based abuse, saying the exercise would help identify emerging harms and possible responses.
The wider programme reflects growing concern over the use of digital platforms in grooming, exploitation, image-based abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls.
Beyond online safety, the UK pledged continued support for Ukraine’s justice system, including prison, probation and rehabilitation capacity, as well as international cooperation to protect survivors of crime who cross borders.
On artificial intelligence, Davies-Jones said the technology could help deliver faster and more effective justice but should be deployed with public trust, human rights and the rule of law at the centre.
“Friends, no country can tackle these challenges alone,” she said, stressing the need for countries to share expertise and cooperate against increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.
The commitments place transnational fraud, digital investigations, child online safety and international criminal justice cooperation at the centre of the UK’s contribution to the UN Crime Congress.
