Human Trafficking in [Singapore Street Children in [Singapore] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Singapore] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the
first ten years of the 21st Century -
2000 to 2009
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
[full
country report] |
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|
CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Trafficking
of Filipinos in Singapore ‘all-time high’ 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 *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 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. India
asks Singapore to curb trafficking www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080068317 After five girls from Manipur were
rescued in Trafficking
of Filipinas in Singapore 'unabated'--embassy In November 2007, INQUIRER.net
posted a special report on the growing number of young Filipino women being
lured to Singapore on the false promise of a high-paying job only to end up
in prostitution. The increased
incidence of trafficking of Asian women, including Filipinas, to Singapore
prompted the United States State Department to downgrade the city-state's
rating from Tier 1 in 2006 to Tier 2 this year. 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." Trafficking
of Filipinos in Singapore ‘all-time high’ 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. Iza Calzado’s
film focuses on human trafficking www.ginsc.net/members/news_details_en.php?id=4646&sub=culture&stat=active The contents of this article had
appeared under a different title and may possibly still be accessible [here]
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. [scroll down]
In 2004 the Akha woman Ms. Amue Athu, from Chiangrai Province in Thailand, was trafficked to the
south of Thailand to a job, that turned out to be a job in a brothel. The
Thai traffickers Ms. Chatkaew Sripormma
and her husband then sent Ms. Amue Athu to Singapore to work in a brothel there. Ms. Amue Athu refused the job and
was sent out of Singapore. The Singapore authorities made no attempt to
assist her, despite the fact that she could not speak Chinese, Thai or any
other language but Akha and was being led by a
“courier” who was to deliver her to the brothel. The Singapore authorities
state they banned Ms. Amue Athu,
but it is unclear from court documents that she understood this due to her
different language. Upon her return to
Thailand, Ms. Amue Athu
was made to work as a sex slave at the brothel to pay off her new debt for
failing to “work out” in Singapore. Disasters
Increase Risk of Human Trafficking The crimes are many forms:
distribution of 880 babies from North Sumatra to Singapore by a foundation,
for instance. The babies, she
explained, were re-sold when they arrived in Singapore. If they were caught in action at sea, the
babies were often thrown out of board so as to wipe the evidence. Microsoft Uses Grants To Help Alleviate Human Trafficking www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7003925024 At one time the source article had
been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
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 Singapore Imprison the Victims of Trafficking? ONGOING CASES - We are concerned that the
government of Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 5 Civil Liberties: 4 Status: Partly Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide U.S. Library of Congress
- Country Study Singapore
slams US report on human trafficking, maid abuse 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." Singapore shares the concerns of the US Government on the
problem of trafficking in persons. We
have, through the years, put in place legislation and devoted law enforcement
resources to confront the problem. We
have therefore succeeded in keeping trafficking in persons to a minimal
level. We continually monitor the
situation. 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 - |
Human Trafficking in [Singapore Street Children in [Singapore] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Singapore] [other countries]