Torture by Authorities in [Singapore] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Singapore] [other countries]NEW è POVERTY in [Singapore] [other countries]
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Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Published reports & articles
from 2000 to 2025 gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Singapore.htm
Singapore is a destination country for women
and girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Some
women from Thailand and the Philippines who travel to Singapore voluntarily
for prostitution or work are subsequently deceived or coerced into sexual
servitude. Some foreign domestic workers are subject to conditions that may
be indicative of labor trafficking, including physical or sexual abuse,
confiscation of travel documents, confinement, inadequate food, rest, or
accommodation, deceptions about wages or conditions of work, and improper
withholding of pay. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June,
2009 Check out the more recent 2020 country report here and possibly a later, full TIP Report here |
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CAUTION: The following links
have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in HOW TO USE THIS WEB-PAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of Human Trafficking are of
particular interest to you. Would you
like to write about Forced-Labor? Debt
Bondage? Prostitution? Forced Begging? Child Soldiers? Sale of Organs? etc. On the other
hand, you might choose to include precursors of trafficking such as poverty and hunger. There is a lot to
the subject of Trafficking. Scan other
countries as well. Draw comparisons
between activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. HELP for Victims Police Force HQ: 6-353-0000 Emergency: 999 ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Commercial sexual exploitation and
trafficking of children and young people in Singapore Veronica Uy,
Inquirer, www.unwomen-nc.org.sg/uploads/FINAL%20Singapore%20Research%20Report%2021%20June%202011.pdf [accessed 16 June 2017] [accessed 6 May 2020] [PAGE 19] TRAFFICKERS AND
TRAFFICKING MECHANISMS
- The modus operandi essentially has illegal recruiters promise young women
non-existent jobs as waitresses or guest relations officers in restaurants
and hotels in Singapore. They are each
charged a minimal S$100 to S$1,000 as recruitment fee in the Philippines, and
given roundtrip tickets (sometimes the return ticket is fake), a fake
invitation letter, and “show money” for showing to Philippine immigration
officials who scrutinize their financial capacity as tourists. Expecting to work in legitimate jobs,
Filipinas end up working as prostitutes. They are forced to provide sexual
services to customers and earn commissions from alcoholic drinks to enable
them to pay the $1,000 to S$4,000 they allegedly owe their handlers. The report said victims who fled to the
embassy were provided shelter and assisted in their repatriation back to the
Philippines. They are interviewed, their affidavit taken, and are advised to
file a complaint either in Singapore or in the Philippines. ***
ARCHIVES *** 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices U.S. Dept of
State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 20 April 2018 www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2017/eap/277115.htm
[accessed 31 March 2019] www.state.gov/reports/2017-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/singapore/ [accessed 30 June 2019] PROHIBITION OF FORCED OR COMPULSORY LABOR There were reports
of practices indicative of forced labor including the withholding of wages
and passports. Migrant workers in low-wage and unskilled sectors such as
domestic work, hospitality, and construction were vulnerable to labor
exploitation. Some observers also
noted that the country’s employer sponsorship system made legal migrant
workers vulnerable to forced labor because they may not change employers
without the consent of their employer. Freedom House
Country Report 2020 Edition freedomhouse.org/country/singapore/freedom-world/2020 [accessed 8 July
2020] G4. DO INDIVIDUALS
ENJOY EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM FROM ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION? Singapore’s
inhabitants generally benefit from considerable economic opportunity, but
some types of workers face disadvantages. The country’s roughly 200,000
household workers are excluded from the Employment Act and are regularly
exploited. Several high-profile trials of employers in recent years have
drawn public attention to the physical abuse of such workers. Laws and
regulations governing their working conditions have modestly improved formal
protections over the past decade, but the guarantees remain inadequate. In
2018, the Ministry of Manpower issued a new work-permit condition that banned
employers from holding the paid wages and other money of foreign household
workers for safekeeping. Existing laws such as the Foreign Worker Dormitories
Act of 2015 are intended to ensure the food and shelter needs of foreign
workers. However, illegal practices such as passport confiscation by
employers remain common methods of coercion, and foreign workers are
vulnerable to exploitation and debt bondage in the sex trade or industries
including construction and manufacturing. India asks Singapore to curb trafficking Press Trust of articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-10-10/news/28411718_1_trafficking-racket-singapore-government-girls [accessed 7 September 2014] [accessed 23 February 2019] After five girls
from Manipur were rescued in Kuala Lumpur, India is now asking the Singapore
government to take action against the maid placement agency that allegedly
ran a human trafficking racket across many northeastern states. The maid placement agency Abel and Joe is
registered with the Singapore government and has sent girls abroad from the
northeast. The Indian embassy in
Singapore has been asked to take up the matter with the government there.
Earlier, after the girls fled from a Kuala Lumpur nightclub, the Malaysian
government helped the girls with arrangements for their return back home. Trafficking of Filipinas in Veronica Uy,
Inquirer, www.traffickingproject.org/2008/05/trafficking-of-filipinas-to-singapore.html [accessed 22 December 2010] In November 2007,
INQUIRER.net posted a special report on the growing number of young Filipino
women being lured to Philippine
Ambassador to Singapore Belen Fule-Anota said
Filipinas who want to work overseas must scrutinize their recruiters in the
Philippines well and ensure they have valid contracts before leaving the
country. She also advised jobseekers
to have their contracts duly verified by the Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration (POEA) "before packing their bags for Singapore." New Philippine Film Raises Awareness of Sex Trafficking
In Singapore Alto Broadcasting System-Chronicle
Broadcasting Network ABS-CBN, January 20, 2008 traffickingproject.blogspot.com/2008/01/mona-singapore-escort.html [accessed 22 December 2010] Mona ends up in a
brothel in TRUE STORY - According to
director Jowee Morel, “Mona Singapore Escort” exposes the reality of white
slavery in Singapore, which counts Filipinas among its victims. Despite Singapore's reputation as a strict,
law-abiding society and its hardline stance on crime (the Singapore
government has put to death even foreigners found guilty in illegal drugs
cases), Morel said human trafficking and sexual slavery are disturbing
realities in Singapore. Letter to Gov. Kulongoski Michu Uaiyue,
June 12, 2007 www.akha.org/content/blog/page6.html [accessed 22 December 2010] [scroll down] In 2004 the Akha
woman Ms. Amue Athu, from
Disasters Increase Risk of Human
Trafficking Rofiqi Hasan, TEMPO
Interactive, Denpasar, 08 November, 2006 www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2006/11/08/brk,20061108-87306,uk.html [accessed 22 December 2010] The crimes are many
forms: distribution of 880 babies from North Sumatra to Microsoft Uses Grants To Help Alleviate
Human Trafficking Josephine Roque, All Headline News AHN, At one time the source article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 11 September 2011] Microsoft Corp. has
released grants worth more than $1 million to six Asian countries to deal
with human trafficking by providing computer skills. Called the
"Unlimited Potential," the grants were distributed throughout:
Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Why Does October 28, 2006 singabloodypore.wordpress.com/2006/10/28/why-does-singapore-imprison-the-victims-of-trafficking/ [accessed 22 December 2010] ONGOING CASES - We are concerned that the government of Singapore slams US report on human
trafficking, maid abuse Agence www.singapore-window.org/sw04/040830af.htm [accessed 22 December 2010] www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/singapore-disputes-us-human-trafficking-report [accessed 15 January 2020] Singapore on
Monday, Aug 30, strongly rejected a US government report alleging that an
illicit trade in Asian prostitutes and the "involuntary servitude" of
some foreign maids exists in the city-state.
"While Singapore is not spared from vice activities, forced
prostitution is very rare here," the Ministry of Home Affairs said. "A small
minority of foreign domestic workers face seriously abusive labor conditions,"
it said, adding that "in a few such cases, these circumstances may
amount to involuntary servitude." Comments on the 2004 Trafficking in Persons (TIP)
Report on Ministry of Home Affairs, www.mha.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=NDU2-y0VV%2fviNbZ0%3d [accessed 14 February 2015] Human Rights
Overview Human Rights Watch [accessed 6 May 2020] Singapore’s political environment is
stifling. Citizens face severe restrictions on their basic rights to freedom of
expression, association, and peaceful assembly through overly broad criminal
laws and regulations. In 2017, the country tightened the already strict
limits on public assemblies contained in the Public Order Act, which requires
police permits for any “cause-related” assembly outside the closely monitored
“Speakers’ Corner.” The rights of the LGBT community are severely curtailed:
sexual relations between men remains a criminal
offense, and there are no legal protections against discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. ***
EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE *** Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of
State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61626.htm [accessed 11 February 2020] TRAFFICKING IN
PERSONS
– In 2004 there were three prosecutions, two of which involved forced
prostitution, and one of which involved bringing a woman into the country
under false pretenses for the purpose of prostitution. The latter case
involved a Sri Lankan woman, who was recruited in The police and other elements of the
government were widely recognized to be both effective and among the least
corrupt such institutions to be found. There were no reports of any official
involvement in trafficking in persons. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Patt,
Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
Torture by Authorities in [Singapore] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Singapore] [other countries]NEW è POVERTY in [Singapore] [other countries]