Singapore takes steps to curb its trafficking problem
Analysis: Authorities now more active but new legal mechanisms are vital
A row of bars along a street in Tanjong Pagar in Singapore.
Prostitution is legal in the city-state, but pimping and public
solicitation are not (AFP photo/Roslan Rahman)
Singapore is a trafficking destination country for men, women, and
girls from around the region, but it was not until this decade that
human trafficking was acknowledged as an issue in the country. Prior to
this and even now, mention of human trafficking as an issue in Singapore
was more often than not greeted with surprise or disbelief.
This began to change in 2010. That year, the US State Department downgraded Singapore from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, saying that the Singapore government did not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
The reasons given for this ranking included that there were no labor trafficking prosecutions or convictions during the reporting period, and an inadequate response to sex trafficking. In its detailed response, the Singapore government stated, “The fact is that Singapore does not have a serious TIP problem”. However, late that year, an Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons was formed.
The government's acknowledgement that human trafficking is an issue Singapore needs to address has given the issue greater prominence. In March 2012, it launched the National Plan of Action, which contains 31 initiatives including sensitizing and training of enforcement officers in victim identification, and raising awareness.
Some funding is now available for awareness programs, and civil society organizations have organized more activities to raise awareness – public talks, talks in schools, film forums, as well as a labor trafficking seminar, education sessions for employment agencies and a conference for businesses. The Conference of Religious Major Superiors Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei commissioned and distributed information leaflets on human trafficking in their parishes and schools in 2011.
However, misconceptions about the scope and prevalence of trafficking within Singapore are common. Many of these are due to the complexities of the issue and the difficulty of identifying victims.
Men, women and girls are trafficked to Singapore for the sex trade or as forced labor. They come from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Some women are recruited through offers of legitimate employment and deceived about the nature or conditions of the prospective work.
Others enter Singapore knowing they will work as prostitutes but upon arrival are subjected to forced prostitution under the threat of serious harm. An ECPAT report has shown evidence of child sex trafficking, with “child” referring to a person under the age of 18.
A report commissioned by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and released in 2013 revealed that girls and women are trafficked into Singapore for sexual exploitation, mainly prostitution. Interviews with 87 women, mainly Filipinos, Indonesians and Thais, revealed that Filipinos are lured to Singapore by friends and acquaintances on the pretext of getting them jobs as waitresses and hostesses.
They end up in brothels and nightclubs, where they are forced to service many men every night with most or all the money taken by the pimps. Some Indonesian victims were prostitutes who had come to Singapore hoping to earn more but fell into the hands of pimps who take all or most of their “earnings".
There are more than one million foreign workers in Singapore; the majority are unskilled and low- skilled workers in the domestic, construction, hospitality and service sectors. Many have incurred debt associated with their employment to recruitment agencies at home and in Singapore, making them vulnerable to forced labor and debt bondage.
Foreign workers also report confiscation of their passports, restrictions on movement, withholding of pay, threats of forced repatriation without pay, and physical and sexual abuse – all indicators of potential trafficking. Some foreign seamen working on long-haul fishing boats that dock in Singapore have reported severe abuse by boat captains, the inability to disembark from their vessels, the inability to terminate their contracts and the non-payment of wages.
The increased awareness is helping to make a difference.
More cases are being reported and prosecuted. In 2009, there were 32 reported cases of alleged sex trafficking. Only two were prosecuted. In 2013, the police received 53 reports of sex trafficking, more than the 52 in 2012 and 43 in 2011. Five have been dealt with in court and most of the others are under investigation. Investigations are also ongoing for most of the 49 cases found to have elements of labor trafficking.
In January 2013, new legislation took effect, mandating that foreign domestic workers get one rest day a week. Domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are foreigners, are not covered by Singapore’s Employment Act, which includes protections such as mandatory rest days and limits on hours of work. Besides the right to a day of rest, not having a day off made it difficult for foreign domestic workers to seek help when they were abused, including working in forced labor conditions.
The increased awareness has also been critical for the support of a dedicated law that addresses human trafficking. A member of parliament is working on a private member's Bill that he hopes to table in November.
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in the Medaille Trust magazine.
Karen R Goh is a consultant primarily for religious orders and Church groups on communication strategy, and program development and implementation in the areas of anti-sex trafficking and anti-labor trafficking.
This began to change in 2010. That year, the US State Department downgraded Singapore from Tier 2 to Tier 2 Watch List in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, saying that the Singapore government did not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
The reasons given for this ranking included that there were no labor trafficking prosecutions or convictions during the reporting period, and an inadequate response to sex trafficking. In its detailed response, the Singapore government stated, “The fact is that Singapore does not have a serious TIP problem”. However, late that year, an Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons was formed.
The government's acknowledgement that human trafficking is an issue Singapore needs to address has given the issue greater prominence. In March 2012, it launched the National Plan of Action, which contains 31 initiatives including sensitizing and training of enforcement officers in victim identification, and raising awareness.
Some funding is now available for awareness programs, and civil society organizations have organized more activities to raise awareness – public talks, talks in schools, film forums, as well as a labor trafficking seminar, education sessions for employment agencies and a conference for businesses. The Conference of Religious Major Superiors Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei commissioned and distributed information leaflets on human trafficking in their parishes and schools in 2011.
However, misconceptions about the scope and prevalence of trafficking within Singapore are common. Many of these are due to the complexities of the issue and the difficulty of identifying victims.
Men, women and girls are trafficked to Singapore for the sex trade or as forced labor. They come from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Some women are recruited through offers of legitimate employment and deceived about the nature or conditions of the prospective work.
Others enter Singapore knowing they will work as prostitutes but upon arrival are subjected to forced prostitution under the threat of serious harm. An ECPAT report has shown evidence of child sex trafficking, with “child” referring to a person under the age of 18.
A report commissioned by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and released in 2013 revealed that girls and women are trafficked into Singapore for sexual exploitation, mainly prostitution. Interviews with 87 women, mainly Filipinos, Indonesians and Thais, revealed that Filipinos are lured to Singapore by friends and acquaintances on the pretext of getting them jobs as waitresses and hostesses.
They end up in brothels and nightclubs, where they are forced to service many men every night with most or all the money taken by the pimps. Some Indonesian victims were prostitutes who had come to Singapore hoping to earn more but fell into the hands of pimps who take all or most of their “earnings".
There are more than one million foreign workers in Singapore; the majority are unskilled and low- skilled workers in the domestic, construction, hospitality and service sectors. Many have incurred debt associated with their employment to recruitment agencies at home and in Singapore, making them vulnerable to forced labor and debt bondage.
Foreign workers also report confiscation of their passports, restrictions on movement, withholding of pay, threats of forced repatriation without pay, and physical and sexual abuse – all indicators of potential trafficking. Some foreign seamen working on long-haul fishing boats that dock in Singapore have reported severe abuse by boat captains, the inability to disembark from their vessels, the inability to terminate their contracts and the non-payment of wages.
The increased awareness is helping to make a difference.
More cases are being reported and prosecuted. In 2009, there were 32 reported cases of alleged sex trafficking. Only two were prosecuted. In 2013, the police received 53 reports of sex trafficking, more than the 52 in 2012 and 43 in 2011. Five have been dealt with in court and most of the others are under investigation. Investigations are also ongoing for most of the 49 cases found to have elements of labor trafficking.
In January 2013, new legislation took effect, mandating that foreign domestic workers get one rest day a week. Domestic workers, the vast majority of whom are foreigners, are not covered by Singapore’s Employment Act, which includes protections such as mandatory rest days and limits on hours of work. Besides the right to a day of rest, not having a day off made it difficult for foreign domestic workers to seek help when they were abused, including working in forced labor conditions.
The increased awareness has also been critical for the support of a dedicated law that addresses human trafficking. A member of parliament is working on a private member's Bill that he hopes to table in November.
Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in the Medaille Trust magazine.
Karen R Goh is a consultant primarily for religious orders and Church groups on communication strategy, and program development and implementation in the areas of anti-sex trafficking and anti-labor trafficking.
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