This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 SINGAPORE 000742 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PASS AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE'S SUBMISSION FOR THE FIFTH ANNUAL TIP 
REPORT PART II 
 
REF: A. SINGAPORE 740 
 
     ¶B. SINGAPORE 657 
     ¶C. 04 STATE 273089 
 
¶1.  (U) This is the second of four messages relaying Embassy 
Singapore's 2005 TIP submission.  Para 2 covers the questions 
on investigations and prosecutions, and para 3 answers the 
questions on protection and victim assistance. 
 
Investigations and Prosecutions 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) 
 
¶A.  Does the country have a law specifically prohibiting 
trafficking in persons--both trafficking for sexual 
exploitation and trafficking for non-sexual purposes (e.g., 
forced labor)? If so, what is the law?  If not, under what 
other laws can traffickers be prosecuted?  For example, are 
there laws against slavery or the exploitation of 
prostitution by means of coercion or fraud?  Are these other 
laws being used in trafficking cases?  Are these laws, taken 
together, adequate to cover the full scope of trafficking in 
persons? 
 
No additional legislation has been enacted since our 2004 
submission.  Existing laws detailed below are adequate to 
deter and prosecute the full scope of domestic trafficking 
offenses.  However, additional legislation criminalizing 
commercial sex acts with 16 and 17-year olds would be 
beneficial, as would legislation criminalizing pedophilia by 
Singaporeans outside the country. 
 
Many defendants are prosecutable for more than one offense 
under the laws below.  A concrete example of this 
multiple-charging is the case of the 12-year old Malaysian 
girl forced to work as a prostitute; she was rescued in 2002, 
and the prosecutions occurred in 2003.  One of her customers 
was convicted of rape, and a pimp of abetting the rape. 
Another three persons were charged with four offenses: 
abetting rape; procuring the girl as a prostitute; bringing 
her into Singapore for that purpose; and living off her 
earnings.  All five received prison sentences ranging from 12 
to 14 years, and four of the five were also caned. 
 
WOMEN'S CHARTER:  The Women's Charter contains a mixture of 
anti-trafficking and anti-vice provisions; authorities may 
choose to charge for vice offenses in some cases that we 
would classify as "trafficking" (for instance, pimping for 16 
or 17-year old prostitutes).  The Women's Charter states that 
"Any person who buys, sells, procures, traffics in or brings 
into or takes out of Singapore for the purpose of present or 
subsequent prostitution, any woman or girl, shall be guilty 
of an offence." If convicted under this law, a person faces 
imprisonment for up to five years and can be fined up to SGD 
10,000 (approximately USD 5,700).  The Women's Charter also 
stipulates similar penalties for committing such acts under 
false pretenses.  Rape is punishable by imprisonment up to 
twenty years (with a minimum of eight years), and the 
offender may also be liable for a fine or caning.  Persons 
who induce a girl under the age of 16 into prostitution 
commit a separate offense, punishable by up to three years 
imprisonment.  The Women's Charter also prohibits any person 
from knowingly living off of the earnings of a prostitute. 
Offenders may be sentenced to jail for up to five years and 
fined up to SGD 10,000 (approximately USD 5,700). 
 
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT:  (Note: "Child" is defined in 
the Act as someone under the age of 14; a "young person" is a 
14 or 15-year old child.  The UN panel reviewing Singapore's 
inaugural submission under the Child Rights Conventions urged 
Singapore to extend the Act to cover all under age 18.)  The 
Children and Young Persons Act prohibits the unlawful 
transfer or possession, custody or control of children and 
prohibits the importation of children by false pretenses. 
Both offenses are punishable by up to four years in prison. 
In addition, the Act makes it an offense for a person to 
commit or abet procuring any obscene or indecent act with a 
child or young person; the penalty is a prison term of up to 
two years and/or a substantial fine, which are both doubled 
for a second and subsequent offense. 
 
PENAL CODE:  Sections 372 and 373 criminalize the purchase or 
sale of anyone under the age of 21 for the purpose of 
prostitution.  Violators of these sections face heavy fines 
and imprisonment of up to 10 years.  The Penal Code also 
prohibits buying or disposing of any person as a slave or 
habitually importing and exporting slaves.  For buying or 
disposing of a slave, the offender may be sentenced to up to 
seven years in prison, and for habitually dealing, the 
offender may be sentenced to up to ten years in prison and a 
fine. 
 
In 1998, Singapore amended its Penal Code, strengthening 
punishment of persons who abuse foreign domestic workers.  If 
an employer is convicted of causing hurt, wrongfully 
confining, assaulting, or insulting the modesty of a 
domestic, the court may now sentence the offender to one and 
a half times the amount of punishment allowed if the same 
offenses were committed against a Singaporean. 
 
IMMIGRATION ACT and EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGN WORKERS ACT: Under 
the Immigration Act, an illegal immigrant trafficker faces a 
mandatory jail term of up to five years plus a minimum of 
three strokes of the cane.  Anyone who abets a person's 
entering or exiting Singapore illegally faces a jail term of 
up to two years and a fine of up to SGD 6,000 (approximately 
USD 3,500).  The Act also states that pimps and prostitutes 
are illegal classes of immigrants.  From 2001 to 2003, 
immigration officers denied entry to 540 females they 
suspected of intending to enter Singapore for the purpose of 
prostitution.  Since it is often difficult to prove the 
charge of alien trafficking, those involved are more often 
convicted and punished as abettors.  There are also stiff 
penalties, including jail sentences, fines, and caning, for 
anyone who hires or houses an illegal immigrant.  Corporate 
bodies employing immigration offenders pay higher fines in 
lieu of jail sentences and caning.  The Ministry of Manpower 
reports that it blacklists and prohibits further applications 
from employers who abuse the work permit system.  Under the 
Employment of Foreign Workers Act, those who misuse the work 
permit system )- which would include, for example, 
non-payment of salary, withholding travel documents, or 
failing to ensure the welfare of a foreign domestic worker -- 
may also face a penalty of up to SGD 5,000 (approximately USD 
2,900) and up to 6 months imprisonment.  Employers can also 
be compelled to bear the costs of dispute resolution and 
ordered to compensate employees for unpaid wages. 
 
¶B.  What are the penalties for traffickers of people for 
sexual exploitation?  For traffickers of people for labor 
exploitation? 
 
Described in answer to Question A. 
 
¶C.  What are the penalties for rape or forcible sexual 
assault?  How do they compare to the penalty for sex 
trafficking? 
 
Described in answer to Question A. 
 
¶D.  Has the government prosecuted any cases against 
traffickers?  If so, provide numbers of arrests, indictments, 
convictions and sentences, including details on plea bargains 
and fines, if relevant and available.  Are the traffickers 
serving the time sentenced: If no, why not?  Please indicate 
whether the government can provide this information, and if 
not, why not? 
 
The Embassy is not aware of any prosecutions for trafficking 
in 2004.  The government did successfully prosecute four 
pimps and 63 &vice abettors8 in 2004. 
 
The government also vigorously prosecutes cases where abuse 
of domestics stops well short of trafficking. 
 
For instance, in 2004 a man who struck his maid on the head 
with a remote control on multiple occasions was jailed for 2 
months.  Singapore is currently trying a woman for slapping, 
burning and choking her maid as well as watching her shower; 
the defendant faces a total of 10 charges with a cumulative 
maximum penalty of 13.5 years in prison and over SGD 10,000 
in fines.   In the first 9 months of 2004, 53 employers were 
found guilty of maid abuse, but Embassy does not believe any 
of these cases rose to the level of trafficking.  There is 
often a substantial lag time between an incident of abuse and 
prosecution, and Embassy is aware of only one case where the 
abuse occurred in 2004 has proceeded to trial.  Authorities 
prosecute every substantiated case of abuse and in the past 
have willingly provided the Embassy with information on 
arrests and prosecutions. 
 
¶E.  Is there any information or reports of who is behind the 
trafficking? For example, are the traffickers freelance 
operators, small crime groups, and/or large international 
organized crime syndicates?  Are employment, travel, and 
tourism agencies or marriage brokers fronting for traffickers 
or crime groups to traffic individuals?  Are government 
officials involved? Are there any reports of where profits 
from trafficking in persons are being channeled (e.g. armed 
groups, terrorist organizations, judges, banks, etc.) 
 
No known trafficking rings are operating in Singapore. 
Government officials are not involved in trafficking. 
Representatives of other diplomatic missions and NGOs have 
told us that whatever trafficking does occur is run by small, 
freelance operators.  Major organized crime rings do not 
appear to be involved.  Embassy is not aware of any cases in 
which employment agencies, travel agencies or marriage 
brokers were involved in trafficking.  The government closely 
monitors these agencies, which face severe penalties for 
helping people to violate Singapore,s tough immigration 
laws.  For example, a travel agency that repeatedly brings 
people to Singapore who do not leave when their visas expire 
will be blacklisted by the government, be required to post a 
SGD 1,000 deposit on every one of its visitors, and face 
extended processing time for visas. In the first half of 
2004, the government blacklisted six such tourist agencies. 
Employment agencies must be accredited, and are subjected to 
periodic audits and spot checks by Ministry of Manpower 
authorities.  It would be difficult to use marriage agencies 
as a front for trafficking, given Singapore,s stringent 
immigration rules: marriage brokers almost always must 
arrange for Singaporean men to travel to the women,s country 
to meet, and obtaining permanent residence status for a 
foreign spouse is an arduous process that can take years and 
subjects the couple to scrutiny by immigration officials. 
Marriages of convenience to obtain immigration status are 
illegal. 
 
¶F.  Does the government actively investigate cases of 
trafficking?  (Again, the focus should be on trafficking 
cases versus migrant smuggling cases.)  Does the government 
use active investigative techniques in trafficking in persons 
investigations?  To the extent possible under domestic law, 
are techniques such as electronic surveillance, undercover 
operations, and mitigated punishment or immunity for 
cooperating suspects used by the government?  Does the 
criminal procedure code or other laws prohibit the police 
from engaging in covert operations? 
 
Yes, the government actively investigates trafficking. Police 
use informants and active patrols to monitor the sex industry 
for coercion.  In 2002, police intelligence indicated a 
12-year old Malaysian girl was being forced to work as a 
prostitute, resulting in an immediate operation to rescue the 
girl and identify her traffickers.  Police and prosecutors 
say that any allegations of deception or coercion in the sex 
industry are dealt with as priority cases.  Authorities 
screen detained suspected sex workers (i.e., those not 
operating in the "tolerated" system) for possible cases of 
coercion, and also to ascertain "vice operators" involved and 
obtain prosecution witnesses against these third parties. 
Singapore police are effective and equipped with broad 
powers; we are confident they use these powers fully to 
investigate cases of alleged trafficking. 
 
NGO representatives and other observers of the sex industry 
concur, opining that the police are well informed about 
goings-on in the designated red light areas, particularly in 
the "tolerated" brothels.  Most NGOs and foreign embassy 
contacts say that all allegations of coercion or force that 
they bring to police attention are fully investigated, 
although they note that the women,s stories are often vague 
and difficult to verify.  One NGO contact reported that 
immediately after comments he made to a reporter appeared in 
the newspaper, the police contacted him because they wanted 
to initiate an investigation based on his information.  The 
government has less insight into the world of free-lance 
streetwalkers, but has begun to work through local NGOs 
(which can interact with women who would be afraid of 
authorities) to monitor what is happening among streetwalkers 
as well as to distribute health information and encourage 
condom use. 
 
For labor cases, the Ministry of Manpower does conduct spot 
checks on employers, has a hotline for domestic workers, and 
the MOM and police investigate tips from the public as well 
as NGOs.  In March 2005, an NGO passed a tip from another 
foreign domestic worker about a confined, unpaid maid to 
police, who immediately worked with the NGO to rescue her. 
The woman is now residing in a shelter, and the police and 
Ministry of Manpower are investigating her case. 
 
¶G.  Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in how to recognize, investigate and 
prosecute instances of trafficking? 
 
Police and prosecutors are competent to recognize, 
investigate and prosecute trafficking-related offenses. 
 
¶H.  Does the government cooperate with other governments in 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases?  If 
possible, can post provide the number of cooperative 
international investigations on trafficking? 
 
Yes.  In February 2004, Singapore police participated in a 
regional anti-trafficking law enforcement seminar alongside 
police from Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore police are 
known to have worked on specific alleged sex trafficking 
cases with both Malaysian and Thai authorities.  They hold 
regular bilateral meetings with their Malaysian counterparts 
on trafficking and other transnational issues, and there are 
plans to expand these sessions to include Indonesia.  In 
February 2005, Singapore and Indonesia restarted talks on an 
extradition treaty, which would improve cooperative law 
enforcement efforts on transnational crimes, including 
trafficking. 
 
The authorities also work with embassies of foreign domestic 
source countries (usually Indonesia or the Philippines) in 
investigating abuse allegations.  All but one of our contacts 
from these Embassies say they are pleased with the 
cooperation and support they receive from the Ministry of 
Manpower and the police (see ref A, paragraph 3.G). In 
general, however, Singapore does not share the number or 
nature of cooperative international investigations it 
participates in.  Singapore authorities worked closely with 
their Malaysian counterparts to visit the family of the 
12-year old girl who was brought to Singapore for 
prostitution.  They personally visited the family to assure 
her parents that she was safe and being well cared for. 
Eventually, they returned her safely to her village. 
Singapore also actively participates in multilateral fora to 
combat TIP and people smuggling.  Singaporean airport and 
immigration authorities also allow U.S. DHS immigration 
officers ongoing access inside Changi airport's transit 
lounge, where they assist Singaporean authorities to prevent 
and address potential human trafficking, people smuggling, 
and immigration fraud cases. 
 
¶I. Does the government extradite persons who are charged with 
trafficking in other countries?  If so, can post provide the 
number of traffickers extradited?  Does the government 
extradite its own nationals charged with such offenses?   If 
not, is the government prohibited by law from extraditing its 
own nationals?  If so, what is the government doing to modify 
its laws to permit the extradition of its own nationals? 
 
Singapore is not known to have received requests to extradite 
a trafficker.  Singapore extradites its own nationals. 
Singapore law requires extraditions to be on the basis of a 
treaty; deportations can provide a means for rendition of 
non-Singaporeans. 
 
¶J.  Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? 
If so, please explain in detail. 
 
No.  The Singapore Government is virtually free of 
corruption.  Penalties in the few isolated cases of 
government corruption and misconduct have been very harsh. 
 
¶K.  If government officials are involved in trafficking, what 
steps has the government taken to end such participation? 
Have any government officials been prosecuted for involvement 
in trafficking or trafficking-related corruption?  Have any 
been convicted?  What actual sentence was imposed?  Please 
provide specific numbers, if available. 
 
Not applicable. 
 
¶L.  If the country has an identified child sex tourism 
problem (as source or destination), how many foreign 
pedophiles has the government prosecuted or 
deported/extradited to their country of origin?  Does the 
country's child sexual abuse laws have extraterritorial 
coverage (like the U.S. PROTECT Act)? 
 
Men from Singapore do travel to the nearby Indonesian Riau 
islands for purposes of sex tourism, and it is probable that 
some are engaging in child sex tourism -- one Indonesian NGO, 
Partnership in Health and Humanity Foundation (YMKK) 
estimates that 30 percent of sex workers in Batam are under 
¶18.  However, there are no available estimates of the number 
of Singaporeans who are involved in child sex tourism. 
 
Singapore,s child sexual abuse laws do not have 
extraterritorial coverage at this time.  That said, the 
Singapore government does recognize sex tourism as a problem, 
and has supported a number of public outreach campaigns to 
raise local awareness of the problem and its consequences for 
Singapore.  The Ministry of Health recently completed a 
project in conjunction with NGOs based in the Indonesian Riau 
islands that surveyed the behavior of Singaporean men hiring 
prostitutes; it is now working with independent researchers 
to identify the best way to influence these men to change 
their behavior, according to a local NGO.  The government has 
sanctioned and will participate in a conference on regional 
child sex tourism sponsored by UNIFEM Singapore and Shared 
Hope, International, which will be held in Singapore in April 
¶2005. 
 
UNIFEM Singapore is also currently drafting a child sex 
tourism law, with the hope of introducing it in Parliament 
sometime later this year.  UNIFEM representatives have met 
with nearly every Member of Parliament to present their case 
and press for support.  One MP told us that the Parliament is 
reviewing many of the laws related to social problems such as 
this, and confirmed that the government would consider such a 
measure.  She said, however, that the GOS is concerned about 
a PROTECT Act-like law's enforceability; Singapore has 
studied all of the various extraterritorial sex tourism laws 
currently in effect, but according to various government 
contacts has identified problems with all of them and 
questions their efficacy in reducing sex tourism. 
 
¶M.  Has the government signed and ratified, and/or taken 
steps to implement the following international instruments? 
Please provide the date of signature/ratification if 
appropriate. 
 
-- ILO Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and 
immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of 
child labor. 
 
Singapore ratified ILO Convention 182 in June 2001. 
 
-- ILO Convention 29 and 105 on forced or compulsory labor? 
 
Singapore ratified Convention 29 in October 1965.  It 
ratified Convention 105 the same month, but withdrew from it 
in April 1979. 
 
-- The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of 
the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution, and 
child pornography. 
 
No. 
 
-- The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking 
in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the 
UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. 
 
No. 
 
Protection and Assistance to Victims 
------------------------------------ 
¶3.  (SBU) 
 
¶A. Does the government assist victims, for example, by 
providing temporary to permanent residency status, relief 
from deportation, shelter and access to legal, medical and 
psychological services?  If so, please explain.  Does the 
country have victim care and victim health care facilities? 
If so, can post provide the number of victims placed in these 
care facilities?  Are trafficking victims offered HIV/AIDS 
screening or otherwise tested for HIV/AIDS?  If so, what are 
the results? 
 
Singapore can provide foreign victims of serious crimes 
immigration status allowing them to stay until the need for 
their testimony is over.  It has provided such status to the 
few trafficking victims, and to foreign domestics who are 
victims of domestic abuse.  This status does not 
automatically grant the victim the right to seek employment, 
but the Ministry of Manpower has not rejected applications 
for work permits by victims of trafficking or abuse.  Some 
domestics who are abuse victims encounter difficulties 
finding suitable employment, as employers may be reluctant to 
allow them sufficient time off to participate in police 
investigations.  Singapore does not offer permanent residency 
status to persons based on their status as a victim. 
 
Victims of trafficking or maid abuse are referred by 
authorities to shelters for women and children such as the 
Toa Payoh Girls Home or the Good Shepherd Center.  The 
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) 
refers clients to at least six different such centers.  In 
other cases, abused foreign domestics live in shelters run by 
their embassies.  Both the Indonesian and Philippine 
Embassies run shelters for their abused domestics.  As 
preparations were made to return her to her parents, the 
12-year old Malaysian girl referred to above stayed at the 
Toa Payoh Girls Home, where she received counseling and other 
services tailored to her specific needs.  MCYS has arranged 
both counseling and health care for victims of both 
trafficking and maid abuse.  A government-run clinic offers 
free screening for HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted 
diseases on an anonymous basis.  Post does not know how many 
victims received assistance from MCYS, but the Ministry 
assures us it offers services to any victims it determines 
need them.  NGO contacts who work with the MCYS to find 
shelter and other assistance for trafficking victims or other 
women who need protection, such as women who are trying to 
leave the prostitution, are pleased with the support and 
cooperation they receive from the Ministry. 
 
¶B.  Does the government provide funding or other forms of 
support to foreign or domestic NGOs for services to victims? 
Please explain. 
 
Due to the limited number of victims, the government does not 
provide dedicated funding to assist trafficking victims. 
However, the government does provide financial assistance to 
shelters for women and children (approximately SGD 250,000 in 
2003, a 35-percent increase from 2002), and does assist a 
clinic that provides health services and counseling to 
victims. 
 
¶C.  Is there a screening and referral process in place, when 
appropriate, to transfer victims detained, arrested or placed 
in protective custody by law enforcement authorities to NGOs 
that provide short- or long-term care? 
 
There is no specific referral procedure.  However, law 
enforcement authorities have good relationships with NGOs, 
the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, the 
Ministry of Manpower and foreign diplomatic representatives. 
The police generally inform embassies when they detain 
foreign nationals; the detention of foreign prostitutes is 
the main exception to this practice.  Unless foreign 
prostitutes are detained for immigration offenses or are 
needed for police investigations or to testify at a trial, 
authorities usually repatriate them as soon as possible. 
According to diplomatic observers and NGOs, the police 
expeditiously refer victims who need housing to them. 
 
¶D.  Are the rights of victims respected, or are victims also 
treated as criminals?  Are victims detained, jailed, or 
deported?   If detained or jailed, for how long?  Are victims 
fined?  Are victims prosecuted for violations of other laws, 
such as those governing immigration or prostitution? 
 
The rights of victims are fully respected.  Embassy is not 
aware of any case where a trafficking victim was jailed or 
prosecuted. The question of whether trafficking victims are 
treated properly by authorities was raised for debate in 
Parliament in October 2004, and the government's responding 
assurance that victims are treated respectfully was widely 
publicized.  Foreign prostitutes rounded up by the 
authorities are not prosecuted for prostitution offenses.  In 
some cases, they are charged with being out of immigration 
status for staying in Singapore beyond the validity of their 
visa or permitted duration of their visit, or for returning 
to Singapore during a two-year ban, which the GOS imposes on 
women who have been caught working as prostitutes.  Sentences 
for such offenses are between one and four months in jail. 
 
¶E.  Does the government encourage victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking?  May victims 
file civil suits or seek legal action against the 
traffickers?  Does anyone impede the victims' access to such 
legal redress?  If a victim is a material witness in a court 
case against the former employer, is the victim permitted to 
obtain other employment or to leave the country?  Is there a 
victim restitution program? 
 
The government does encourage victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking and maid abuse 
cases.  Victims may file civil suits, but, although at least 
one NGO encourages women to pursue this course, none are 
known to have done so.  No one impedes victims' access to 
legal redress.  Victims are permitted to leave Singapore, and 
some are known to have done so in maid abuse cases; however, 
authorities are severely handicapped should they present a 
legal case without a witness, and police generally urge 
victims to remain, pending legal resolution of a case.  Some 
victims so urged may mistakenly believe that departure would 
not be allowed.  In some cases, Singapore prosecutors have 
flown witnesses back to Singapore as required to prosecute a 
case.  Prosecutors express frustration that witnesses who 
leave Singapore often drop out of contact or decline to 
return.  Singapore does not have a victim restitution program. 
 
¶F.  What kind of protection is the government able to provide 
for victims and witnesses?  Does it provide these protections 
in practice? 
 
Authorities protect victims and witnesses from intimidation 
by defendants; in many cases, the accused are held in custody 
pending trial.  The secure Toa Payoh Girls Home has been used 
to house victims who may face retribution by traffickers, as 
in the case of the 12-year old Malaysian girl referred to 
above. 
 
¶G.  Does the government provide any specialized training for 
government officials in recognizing trafficking and in the 
provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the 
special needs of trafficked children?  Does the government 
provide training on protections and assistance to its 
embassies and consulates in foreign countries that are 
destination or transit countries?  Does it urge those 
embassies and consulates to develop ongoing relationships 
with NGOs that serve trafficked victims? 
 
In view of the limited number of victims, Singapore itself 
does not provide trafficking training per se.  However, 
Singapore police officers are competent and well trained to 
recognize and assist victims of such crimes.  In February 
2004, however, Singapore police participated in a regional 
anti-trafficking law enforcement seminar alongside police 
from Malaysia and Indonesia.  There are good counseling 
services available to victims of sexual assault and physical 
abuse, and the authorities work closely with NGOs and other 
organizations with training and experience.  Singapore is not 
a country of origin for victims, making the last two 
questions not applicable.  The Ministry of Manpower does 
train new foreign domestic workers on basic safety 
precautions and their rights under the law, and informs them 
of the resources, including the maid hotline, available to 
them.  The Ministry also provides all maids with a handbook 
containing this information in their native language. 
¶H.  Does the government provide assistance, such as medical 
aid, shelter, or financial help, to its repatriated nationals 
who are victims of trafficking? 
 
Not applicable; no Singaporeans are known to have been 
trafficked. 
 
¶I.  Which NGOs, if any, work with trafficking victims? What 
types of services do they provide?  What sort of cooperation 
do they receive from local authorities? 
 
In 2004 Singapore registered the &One Hope Center8 as a 
society; it is the first organization in Singapore dedicated 
to helping women escape prostitution.  The organization's 
founder has worked with foreign workers, recovering drug 
addicts, and former convicts for seven years and received the 
President's Social Services Award in 2003.  The One Hope 
Center works closely with the Ministry of Community 
Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the Immigration and 
Checkpoints Authority (ICA), and the police to provide for 
the women,s welfare.  It employs trained counselors who help 
women leave prostitution, helps them get into shelters, and 
liaises with the police and immigration authorities as well 
as foreign embassies to facilitate their return home (usually 
putting them in contact with another welfare NGO is their 
destination country).  The One Hope Center is currently 
talking to the MCYS about a proposal to start a &One-Stop8 
center in one of Singapore,s red-light districts, which 
would serve as a shelter and provide counseling, skills 
training, and legal advice. (The MCYS would supply the 
building).  The Center is also involved, with other local 
NGOs, in efforts to lobby the government to change its 
definition of trafficking to reflect the definition in the 
U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in 
Persons. 
 
Other NGOs assist foreign workers who have problems with 
employers (from failure to pay wages to physical or sexual 
abuse); while such problems rarely would amount to 
trafficking, the work of the NGOs helps provide confidence 
that labor trafficking victims would be discovered and 
assisted.  A civil society group known as Transient Workers 
Count Too (formerly &The Working Committee 28), aims to 
boost protection for foreign workers, particularly maids, and 
detect abuse cases earlier.  The Humanitarian Organization 
for Migration Economics (HOME) provides shelter to foreign 
workers who are in disputes with their employers or who have 
been abused, advocates on their behalf, and educates them on 
their rights and Singapore laws protecting them. HOME also 
occasionally takes in sex-trafficking victims referred by the 
police who are waiting to appear as witnesses for the 
prosecution of their pimps or traffickers.  Some privately 
run shelters are available for foreign victims of 
sex-trafficking or maid abuse, and a government-assisted 
clinic provides sex-related health services and counseling. 
 
Cooperation from authorities is good, and authorities 
actively refer victims to these services.  Singapore has 
strict laws on abetting immigration offenses, which would 
require shelters to decline services to persons out of 
immigration status; however, trafficking victims could obtain 
temporary immigration status pending a trial.  Some NGO 
contacts also report that they have been able to work out 
arrangements with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority 
where women trying to escape prostitution but whose visas 
have expired are allowed to return to their home country and 
are not charged with immigration offenses if they turn 
themselves in to the authorities.  Other NGOs and some 
embassy officials note that source country embassies can 
sometimes prevail upon ICA to let people leave the country 
without serving time for the immigration offenses. 
 
 
 
LAVIN