Combatting Human Trafficking in the Digital Era: Mongolia’s Success with Advanced Cyber-Crime Investigation Techniques

IOM Development Fund
IOM Development Fund Newsletter
4 min readOct 25, 2024
As part of an innovative approach to tackling human trafficking, IOM delivered the first artificial intelligence-based cyber-crime investigation training to law enforcement officials in Mongolia in 2024. This groundbreaking training also aligns with the IOM Strategic Plan by protecting migrants with evidence-based innovative solutions (Photo: IOM Mongolia 2021).

Famed for its rich cultural traditions, the vast country of Mongolia, which maintains a sizable semi-nomadic population, is also embracing innovation — often in new and experimental ways.

These include small and large-scale transformations. Despite having one of the lowest population densities in the world, more than 83 per cent of the country’s population has internet access, compared to a world average of 68 per cent. In urban areas, the ubiquitous QR code menus have also found their way to the tables of many of Mongolia’s restaurants. And the country recently made headlines for its adoption of a new postal system utilizing three-word addresses in partnership with a UK-based company.

Guided by the country’s Digital Nation-Mongolia Strategy, the lives of everyday Mongolians are being bolstered by digital transformation. This has also opened up new fronts for utilizing technology and in 2023, Mongolia turned its attention to a new space — combating human trafficking.

While technology can have profound impacts in transforming communities for the better, it can also be used for nefarious activities. For human traffickers, digitalization has expanded the range of tools available, further deepening the realm of human trafficking crimes.

To combat this evolving challenge, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mongolia implemented a year-long project, equipping Mongolian law enforcement officials with the ability to utilize AI-based investigation techniques in human trafficking cases. The project titled “Strengthening Mongolia’s Cyber-Crime Investigations on Human Trafficking” was launched in July 2023, in collaboration with the Bali Process Regional Support Office (RSO) and the Coordination Council of Crimes Prevention of Mongolia and supported by the IOM Development Fund.

Officers from six Mongolian law enforcement agencies participants in the training on on open-source intelligence held in April 2024 (Photo: IOM Mongolia 2024).

Mongolia is a source and destination country for human trafficking. Girls and young women constitute a vast majority of the 391 victims of trafficking identified by the Mongolian Criminal Police Agency (CPA) from 2012 to 2023. In recent years, dating apps and social media have been exploited by human traffickers who use deceptive tactics to lure victims with false job offers, posting misleading online advertisements and making empty promises of a better life.

“A great deal has happened in migration in the last decade, resulting in distinct migration patterns and its emerging challenges. Digital technologies have recently become more advanced, allowing for the development of social networking sites and applications. As the internet is developing very fast, we are enjoying a lot of benefits, but criminals are using it in various harmful ways.”

Daniel Sam, Chief of Mission a.i., IOM Mongolia

As part of the project, IOM delivered the first artificial intelligence-based cyber-crime investigation training to law enforcement officials in Mongolia. This groundbreaking training also aligns with the IOM strategic plan by protecting migrants with evidence-based innovative solutions.

Starting in January 2024, three foundational sessions on open-source intelligence (OSINT) were provided to 19 officers from six Mongolian law enforcement agencies. The officers learned various AI-based investigation techniques, practices and principles of OSINT, social network intelligence (SOCMINT), geolocation techniques and advanced data scraping methodologies. The following two sessions were delivered by expert trainer Anne-Lynn Dudenhoeffer in April and June 2024 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Three foundational training sessions were developed as part of this project, covering topics such as AI-based investigation techniques, social network intelligence (SOCMINT), geolocation techniques and advanced data scraping methodologies. Participants receive a certificate of completion following the training (Photo: IOM Mongolia 2024).

The impact of the courses was immediate. After the first session in January, one new case of human trafficking was detected, using the techniques learned during the training. Currently, there are eight ongoing investigations by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (Anti-TIP) Unit, which were significantly supported by the tools and knowledge acquired through the training.

Moreover, the participants gave overwhelmingly positive feedback. “By attending these series of training, I have broader skills to collect evidence from the online environment, breaking the traditional way. I have skills to view suspected users on social media platforms from a different perspective,” said a detective from the Crime Police Department of Mongolia.

This project is a significant step forward in the fight against human trafficking. “We have learned the latest approaches and trends to collect and analyze data from all available open sources. I will integrate contents learned from this training into curriculum of detectives’ courses of the police school of our university. Using modern technology to detect cyber facilitated crimes is one of the most important skills to learn nowadays,” said a professor and lecturer from the University of Internal Affairs of Mongolia.

By leveraging the latest cyber-crime investigation techniques and providing targeted training to law enforcement personnel, Mongolia is contributing to its Vision-2050 Long-Term Development Policy, the core development strategy of Mongolia, which emphasizes the national demand to improve the legal environment for combating transnational organized crimes with innovation-based solutions. This national strategy aligns with ICT-facilitated human trafficking crimes exacerbated by digitalization and the outbreak of the COVID-19.

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