VZCZCXRO9826
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGP #0406/01 0590811
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 280811Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2550
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2446
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SINGAPORE 000406 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PASS AID, STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AND 
EAP/RSP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KWMN SMIG KRFD ASEC PREF ELAB SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT 
SUBMISSION (PART 3 OF 3) 
 
REF: A. SINGAPORE 405 
 
     ¶B. SINGAPORE 401 
     ¶C. STATE 202745 
 
¶1. (U) This is the third of three messages relaying Embassy 
Singapore's 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report submission. 
 
¶2. (U) Continue text of submission: 
 
IV.  PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
 
-- 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? 
Does the country have facilities dedicated to helping victims 
of trafficking?  If so, can post provide the number of 
victims placed in these care facilities? 
 
Singapore provides foreign victims of serious crimes an 
immigration status that allows them to stay until the need 
for their testimony is over.  It has provided such status to 
trafficking victims and to foreign domestic workers 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. 
Singapore does not offer permanent residency status to 
persons based on their status as a victim. 
 
The Singapore authorities (usually in consultation with the 
victim's embassy) refer victims of trafficking or maid abuse 
to shelters for women and children such as the Toa Payoh 
Girls Home, the Good Shepherd Center, and the Humanitarian 
Organization for Migration Economics (HOME).  The Ministry of 
Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) refers clients 
to at least six different such centers.  In some cases, 
abused foreign domestics live in shelters run by their 
embassies.  Both the Indonesian and Philippine Embassies run 
shelters for their abused domestics.  Some other Embassies 
and High Commissions have limited, short-term shelter 
facilities and then refer victims to other shelters for 
longer-term care.  MCYS has arranged 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 says it offers services to any victims 
it determines need them.  NGO contacts who work with the 
Police, Immigration officials, and MCYS to find shelter and 
other assistance for trafficking victims or other women who 
need protection, such as women who are trying to stop working 
as prostitutes, are pleased with the support and cooperation 
they receive from the authorities. 
 
-- 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 some equipment, training 
and financial assistance (on a per capita basis) to shelters 
for women and children, and does support a clinic that 
provides health services and counseling to victims.  Source 
country consular officials say that Singapore Police and 
social workers have been helpful in providing victims access 
to any medical care needed. 
 
-- C. Do the government's law enforcement and social services 
personnel have a formal system of identifying victims of 
trafficking among high-risk persons with whom they come in 
contact (e.g. foreign persons arrested for prostitution or 
immigration violations)? Is there a referral process in 
place, when appropriate, to transfer victims detained, 
arrested or placed in protective custody by law enforcement 
authorities to NGO's that provide short- or long-term care? 
 
According to NGOs and consular officials, when a victim is 
identified, the police consult with that person's embassy as 
well as the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and 
Sports to determine what assistance the victim requires, and 
which facilities are able to provide it. 
 
SINGAPORE 00000406  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
-- D. Are the rights of victims respected, or are victims 
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.  Foreign prostitutes detained by the authorities 
are not prosecuted for prostitution offenses.  In a small 
number of cases (less than five percent of prostitutes 
detained), over-stayers are charged with being out of 
immigration status for remaining in Singapore beyond the 
validity of their visa or permitted duration of their visit, 
or for returning to Singapore during a two-year ban that the 
GOS imposes on women who have been caught working as 
prostitutes.  Sentences for such offenses are generally 
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 a former employer, is the victim permitted to 
obtain other employment or to leave the country pending trial 
proceedings?  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.  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.  In some cases, Singapore prosecutors 
have flown witnesses back to Singapore as required to 
prosecute a case.  Victims may obtain a special employment 
pass that allows them to work in Singapore while their legal 
case is proceeding.  Singapore does not have a special victim 
restitution program, except through normal civil procedure. 
 
-- F. What kind of protection is the government able to 
provide for victims and witnesses?  Does it provide these 
protections in practice?  What type of shelter or services 
does the government provide?  Does it provide shelter or 
housing benefits to victims or other resources to aid the 
victims in rebuilding their lives? Where are child victims 
placed (e.g. in shelters, foster-care, or juvenile justice 
detention centers)? 
 
Authorities protect victims and witnesses from intimidation 
by defendants; in many cases, the accused are held in custody 
pending trial.  The locations of certain shelters in 
Singapore are generally kept a secret, and NGOs that run 
shelters tell us that police routinely patrol their areas and 
will intensify their surveillance if there is a reason to 
believe that someone is in danger.  Child victims are housed 
in shelters specifically meant for children (both government 
and privately run).  The secure Toa Payoh Girls Home has been 
used to house victims who may face retribution by traffickers. 
 
-- 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? 
 
Singapore Police officers are competent and well trained to 
recognize and assist victims of such crimes.  In 2004, 
Singapore, Malaysian and Indonesian police participated in a 
regional anti-trafficking law enforcement seminar.  The 
Singapore Police have also consulted with a local NGO on 
interview techniques and how to better interact with victims. 
 Singapore is not a country of origin for victims, making the 
last two questions not applicable. 
 
¶H. Does the government provide assistance, such as medical 
 
SINGAPORE 00000406  003 OF 003 
 
 
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 international organizations or NGOs, if any, work 
with trafficking victims?  What type of services do they 
provide?  What sort of cooperation do they receive from local 
authorities?  NOTE:  If post reports that a government is 
incapable of assisting and protecting TIP victims, then post 
should explain thoroughly.  Funding, personnel, and training 
constraints should be noted, if applicable.  Conversely, the 
lack of political will to address the problem should be noted 
as well. 
 
In 2004, Singapore registered the "One Hope Center" 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 in their 
destination country). 
 
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 2") aims to boost 
protection for foreign workers, particularly maids, and 
detect abuse cases earlier.  In December 2006, it launched a 
hot line for foreign domestic workers and foreign laborers to 
seek advice and support.  The Humanitarian Organization for 
Migration Economics (HOME) provides shelter to foreign 
workers (including maids) 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 also 
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 excellent, according to NGO 
contacts, and authorities actively refer victims to these 
services.  Singapore's strict laws on abetting immigration 
offenses require shelters to decline services to persons out 
of immigration status; however, trafficking or other crime 
victims can 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 
ICA will let people leave the country without serving time 
for the immigration offenses if there are extenuating 
circumstances. 
HERBOLD