SINGAPORE'S SUBMISSION FOR THE 2006 TIP REPORT:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 SINGAPORE 000630 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR G/TIP STATE FOR INL/HSTC STATE PASS AID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN ELAB SMIG ASEC KFRD PREF SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE'S SUBMISSION FOR THE 2006 TIP REPORT: PART I REF: A. STATE 3836 ¶B. SINGAPORE 470 ¶C. SINGAPORE 139 ¶D. 05 SINGAPORE 3614 ¶1. This is the first of three messages relaying Embassy Singapore's 2006 TIP submission. Due to the length of our submission, we have split it into three cables. Part I covers the overview of Singapore's trafficking problem and prevention efforts. The Embassy point of contact for this report is Colin Willett, phone: (65) 6476-9492; fax: (65) 6476-9389; email: willettc@state.gov. Per the request in para 17 of Ref B, to date the Embassy has spent the following time on the TIP report: COM: 3 hours; FE-MC: 5 hours; FS-1: 50 hours; FS-5: 150 hours. Summary -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Overall, the trafficking situation in Singapore improved in 2006. The nature of the trafficking problem in Singapore has not changed dramatically since last year's report, but the Singapore government is now more aware of and proactive against trafficking, and is working with local NGOs and other groups to combat the trade. A variety of sources indicate that the number of trafficking cases in Singapore has declined, due to a decrease in the number of women working in the sex trade following a police crackdown on vice-related activities in late 2004 and early 2005. On labor issues, particularly those related to foreign maids, the Ministry of Manpower has continued to refine its regulations, enforce the laws, and raise public awareness of the consequences of exploiting domestic workers. ¶3. (SBU) In November 2004, ASEAN leaders made combating trafficking a priority. Since that time, the government of Singapore has been more actively discussing and working on the issue with its ASEAN neighbors and local NGOs. NGOs report a significant improvement in their working relationship with the government. Not only are NGOs given more latitude to conduct their own programs, including media campaigns and school-based programs, but the police, immigration authorities, and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports are now reaching out to local civil society to solicit advice and input as well as to offer a more cooperative working relationship on investigations and public outreach campaigns. Singapore is also preparing important legislative changes that will address key USG concerns: it plans to raise the age of consent for commercial sex from 16 to 18 and to make laws against sex with minors enforceable extraterritorially. We expect Singapore to enact these changes in the first half of 2006. End Summary. Overview -------------- ¶4. (SBU) A. Is the country a country of origin, transit or destination for international trafficked men, women, or children? Specify numbers for each group; how they were trafficked, to where, and for what purpose. Does the trafficking occur within the country's borders? Does it occur in territory outside of the government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)? Are any estimates or reliable numbers available as to the extent or magnitude of the problem? Please include any numbers of victims. What is (are) the source(s) of available information on trafficking in persons? How reliable are the numbers and these sources? Are certain groups of persons more at risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)? Singapore is a destination country for a limited number of women and girls trafficked for the purpose of prostitution and, in rare instances, foreign domestic workers who voluntarily come to Singapore to work but are subsequently subjected to conditions that may rise to the level of trafficking. Singapore is not a country of origin for trafficked persons, either for sex or labor. There is no internal trafficking in persons. Post is not aware of any cases of trafficking victims transiting through Singapore, Singapore authorities do not consistently screen the several million transit passengers who pass through the transit lounge at Changi Airport each year. (There was one prosecution for trafficking involving a person transiting SINGAPORE 00000630 002 OF 007 Changi in 2005, but the woman was later exonerated. See section II.F for details.) U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at post do not believe Singapore is a major hub for people smuggling, a circumstance that further reduces the likelihood that there are a large number of undetected trafficking victims in transit. There are no numerical estimates of the magnitude of trafficking in Singapore. The number of cases that the Embassy has identified through discussions with the government, NGOs, and foreign Embassy consular contacts is well under 100; however, given that Singapore has a sizable sex industry, it is possible that the total number of victims exceeds 100. Estimates of the numbers of women who may have been trafficked are based primarily on police interviews with women involved in the sex trade and anecdotal evidence of local NGOs. While these organizations are reliable, they rely heavily on voluntary disclosure by victims, and may therefore underestimate the number of persons trafficked. Most NGOs, government contacts, source country consular officials, and U.S. law enforcement officials working in Singapore agree that the overall number of trafficking victims is probably small. ¶B. Please provide a general overview of the trafficking situation in the country and any changes since the last TIP Report (e.g. changes in direction). Also briefly explain the political will to address trafficking in persons. Other items to address may include: What kind of conditions are the victims trafficked into? Which populations are targeted by the traffickers? Who are the traffickers? What methods are used to approach victims? (Are they offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, approached by friends of friends, etc.?) What methods are used to move the victims (e.g., are false documents used?). The number of trafficking victims in 2005 was down slightly from 2004, probably due to a crackdown on the sex trade in Singapore (which began in late 2004) that has substantially reduced the number of foreign prostitutes working here. Local NGOs say that they have been coordinating with the Police and providing their observations on the patterns of behavior by foreign prostitutes and their pimps or vice abettors. As a result, the NGOs say, immigration authorities are allowing fewer foreign prostitutes to enter Singapore, and Police have closed down many of the establishments, such as karaoke bars, where prostitutes and pimps had gathered. NGOs say the Police are also more frequently and more aggressively patrolling known "red light" areas. Police detained approximately 1,700 women from January to June 2005, down from over 2,600 in the same period of 2004. (Note: Post expects full-year, detailed data from MHA by the end of the week, and will send an update cable upon receipt.) Nearly all of the known or suspected cases in 2005 involved sex trafficking, in part because of vigorous government efforts in recent years to better protect domestic workers. None appears to have been confined by the traffickers or subjected to physical violence. Consular officials from Embassies of source countries report that the cases they encounter usually involve women who come to Singapore voluntarily to work in the sex trade or elsewhere who then face some sort of coercion, usually psychological, not physical, by agents or pimps. Typical stories involve women who were told they could find jobs here in a restaurant or bar, but arrived to find that legitimate work was not available or paid very poorly. Now alone in Singapore, and often having borrowed money for their travel expenses, they do not want to or cannot go home empty handed, and enter the sex trade either of their own volition or at the urging of a recruiter. Consular officers and NGOs report that few such women are physically threatened or abused. For the few maids who face severe abuse that may rise to the level of trafficking, all come to Singapore willingly to work but are ultimately exploited by their employers -- through nonpayment of wages, illegal confinement, and physical or psychological abuse. The Government of Singapore is committed to combating trafficking in persons, as it is committed to stamping out all kinds of organized crime and corruption. Singapore leaders place great stress on achieving a very low crime rate and maintaining extremely tight immigration controls. SINGAPORE 00000630 003 OF 007 High-level commitment to combating trafficking appears to have strengthened since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the 2004 ASEAN Summit, at which trafficking in persons was a primary topic of discussion. Singapore emphasizes tight control of immigration, effected through very tough laws, and has strengthened controls further since 2001. While it adopted these controls primarily for security reasons and to prevent a large influx of undocumented workers, the controls also effectively serve to prevent large-scale trafficking in persons into Singapore. Singapore also has allowed employers to legally bring in large numbers of domestic and unskilled workers, and at relatively low wages (Singapore does not impose a minimum wage); with ready access to inexpensive foreign labor through legal channels, few employers wish to risk draconian penalties by hiring illegal employees or exploiting trafficking victims. Local NGOs report that the police, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS),and the Ministry of Manpower have in the past year dramatically increased their efforts to work in concert with NGOs and other civic groups both to promote public education about trafficking (through school programs and publicity campaigns, for example) and to improve enforcement efforts. (See Sections II.C and II.F.) Law enforcement agencies routinely monitor all red-light districts using formal police checks, informants and electronic surveillance, and NGO representatives say they have stepped up efforts to police red light districts in the past year. NGO contacts and consular officials here say the authorities fully investigate any allegations of trafficking and are anxious to prosecute traffickers -- in fact a common complaint is that investigations are so thorough that they often take months, requiring witnesses and victims to remain in Singapore. The consensus among Embassy contacts in civil society and diplomatic circles is that Singapore is willing to devote whatever resources are necessary to combating these crimes. ¶C. What are the limitations on the government's ability to address this problem in practice? For example, is funding for police or other institutions inadequate? Is overall corruption a problem? Does the government lack the resources to aid victims? The government has both the will and the resources to combat trafficking in persons; the largest limitations on its ability to address the problem are the generally uncooperative nature of the victims and the difficulty of obtaining evidence. Overall, police, NGOs, and source-country embassies tell us that the women involved do not often allege force or coercion. The vast majority of the women do not face any criminal or immigration charges, and generally choose to tell the police they were acting of their own free will in order to be allowed to return home immediately rather than remain in Singapore for months. When women do allege trafficking, they are often not able to provide many details about their traffickers, and police and NGOs tell us that their stories are often difficult to verify, particularly when contradicted by their coworkers. Also, the trafficking rings themselves do not appear to be physically present in Singapore, but operate out of source countries with (at most) a few low-level agents or pimps present in Singapore. As a result, the actual traffickers are generally beyond the reach of the Singapore Police. Some embassies remove victims from Singapore to pursue an investigation in the source country rather than press charges in Singapore. ¶D. To what extent does the government systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- prosecution, prevention and victim protection) and periodically make available, publicly or privately and directly or through regional/international organizations, its assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? The Ministry of Home Affairs keeps extensive records on persons passing through border checkpoints, as well as records on all detentions, arrests, investigations, prosecutions and convictions, and publishes an annual report on crime in the first quarter of each year. More detailed information on crime statistics is available upon request; local NGOs tell us that MHA has been forthcoming in response SINGAPORE 00000630 004 OF 007 to their requests for such information. The Ministry of Manpower keeps records on all allegations of maid abuse and the outcomes of their investigations, as well as other violations of the regulations governing employment of foreign workers. MOM makes information on abuse allegations and prosecutions as well as violations by employment agencies available on its website. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports keeps records on all cases where it has provided access to shelter or medical or psychological care. PREVENTION -------------- ¶5. (SBU) A. Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is a problem in that country? If no, why not? The government of Singapore acknowledges that a small number of the foreign prostitutes in Singapore have probably been forced or coerced into the sex trade. The government also acknowledges that it continues to have a maid-abuse problem, but although it prosecutes all cases of abuse, it does not classify severe cases of abuse as trafficking. The GOS's assessment -- shared by this Embassy -- is, however, that trafficking in persons is not widespread. Authorities remain vigilant, and continue to take actions that directly or indirectly reduce the likelihood of trafficking. The government also does not describe as "trafficking" some cases that we would so classify: these cases include 16- and 17-year olds wittingly and willingly engaged in prostitution, and "work disputes" involving women who entered Singapore for the purpose of prostitution. Despite these definitional differences, the government prosecutes the vice operators involved in these cases, when it has prosecution witnesses. The GOS will raise the age of consent for commercial sex to 18 in 2006. Victims in these categories are few, as described in Section I.B. ¶B. Which government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the lead? -- Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority controls the borders and looks for illegal immigrants, including trafficking victims, and for persons who employ or harbor illegal immigrants. -- The police monitor the sex industry, including through the use of informants, street patrols (uniformed and undercover), and electronic surveillance. They interview women detained for public solicitation and pimps (both public solicitation and pimping are illegal),and look for coercion. Police also investigate allegations or suspicions of maid abuse. Until shortly before trial, police are responsible for law enforcement-related interaction with witnesses in criminal cases, including trafficking-related ones. -- The Attorney General's Chambers prosecutes both trafficking and domestic abuse cases. -- The Ministry of Manpower investigates complaints by foreign workers about pay or working conditions, attempts to resolve problems through mediation or enforcement action, works with employment agencies to improve business practices and encourage the industry to police itself, and carries out education efforts among both employers and employees. -- The Ministry of Community Development, Youth, and Sports (MCYS) assists victims with counseling and obtaining temporary shelter, if required, and is involved in public education campaigns to raise awareness of trafficking crimes such as child prostitution. ¶C. Are there or have there been government-run anti-trafficking information or education campaigns? If so, briefly describe the campaign(s),including their objectives and effectiveness. Do these campaigns target potential trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking (e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor)? In February 2006, the Ministry of Manpower and government-linked telecommunications company Singtel launched a information campaign that aims to raise awareness among SINGAPORE 00000630 005 OF 007 foreign workers, including maids, of their rights and the resources available to them by printing such information and maid and police hotline numbers on prepaid phone cards (popular with foreign workers). Local NGOs have sponsored a number of anti-trafficking awareness programs in the Singapore school system in 2006, including a recent conference on child prostitution for secondary school students organized by students from Raffles Girls School. Singapore's two largest national universities, the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, have run a variety of seminars and information sessions (open to the public) on a range of trafficking-related issues. NGO contacts report that the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports will launch a campaign against child sex tourism in March 2006 in accordance with an ASEAN-wide awareness program initiated at the ASEAN Summit in November, 2004 in Vientiane. In addition to these specific programs, the government runs an on-going public campaign to raise awareness among employers and employees about the rights of foreign workers, who comprise nearly 30 percent of Singapore's labor force. These publicity efforts include highlighting Singapore's tough laws against abuse of domestics or harboring illegal immigrants. Government-linked media run regular features on domestic worker abuse and exploitation, and the government-linked press widely publicizes convictions. Public shaming is considered a significant part of the justice system's punishment and deterrence efforts; NGO contacts say that press coverage given to abuse cases and other foreign worker issues, combined with Singapore's new regulations and improved efforts to publicize those regulations, has had a positive impact on the welfare of the foreign workers here. In 2005, the government-linked media has taken up the cause of sex-trafficking as well, with a particular focus on child prostitution and child-sex tourism. A local television program on the government-owned Channel News Asia, for example, has run a series of episodes on victims of sex trafficking, and local newspapers run occasional "victims' stories" to highlight the human cost of trafficking and exploitation. ¶D. Does the government support other programs to prevent trafficking? (e.g., to promote women's participation in economic decision-making or efforts to keep children in school.) Please explain. This question seems addressed to countries that are origin countries for trafficking victims; Singapore is not a victim origin country. Singapore has a first world economy and has legally protected women's equal rights to education, employment and independence since 1961. Education is compulsory, and there are a number of programs designed to make sure all children have access to education at all levels. Nearly all Singaporeans go to secondary school, and half pursue a post-secondary education. ¶F. What is the relationship between government officials, NGOs, other relevant organizations and other elements of civil society on the trafficking issue? Civil society leaders involved in combating trafficking in persons report a dramatically improved working relationship with the government over the past 18 months. Multiple NGOs have reported that they now have frequent contact with both the police and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM),and in many cases have individual officers' and supervisors' personal mobile phone numbers to facilitate communication. One NGO said that even very high-level officials are "remarkably accessible," and noted that all email requests from their organization to the Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee have received a response within the same working day (MHA includes both the Police and Immigration). Another organization noted that Police acted on any tips passed from that group "immediately." Several NGOs told us that the Police now call them for advice on difficult investigations, and expressed satisfaction with how the police are handling cases referred to them. NGOs that work with sex-trafficking victims say that the SINGAPORE 00000630 006 OF 007 Police have also consulted with them on several issues, including ways to improve police interviewing techniques and interaction with women who may have been victimized. They report that the Police hav successfully used NGOs information on how pimps and prostitutes operate to crack down on the vice trade. The Police have also given the NGOs advice on Singapore laws and guidance on the types of information and evidence that are most helpful in police investigations, so that the NGO workers can ask the right questions when they encounter potential victims. NGOs working with domestic workers say that MOM's Foreign Manpower Management Division routinely consults them on policy changes and takes any suggestion for new regulations or policies seriously, and has implemented NGO suggestions it found to be workable. The government also has excellent relations with the embassies of the various source countries. All but one (which does not report such crimes to the Singapore Police) say that the authorities actively investigate allegations they bring to the government's attention, whether of sex-trafficking, maid abuse or work permit violations. Most say that the new regulations regarding foreign workers have been helpful in securing their welfare, although there is some concern that education requirements may disadvantage their nationals, many of whom cannot meet the literacy requirements. ¶G. Does it monitor immigration and emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking? Do law enforcement agencies screen for potential trafficking victims along borders? Singapore closely monitors its borders for any suspicious behavior or evidence of criminal activities. Singapore has one of the world's toughest immigration regimes, and the Government further stepped up controls after September 11, ¶2001. These measures act as substantial barriers to illegal immigration and to trafficking in persons as a subset of this problem. Singapore maintains a record of all travelers who enter and exit Singapore, including information on persons they were traveling with and the vehicles they were in. It checks all travelers' information against government-wide lists of prohibited travelers, suspicious persons, and immigration offenders before clearing them. The GOS is currently addressing the technical changes needed to participate in Interpol's database of lost and stolen travel documents (which became available to member countries at the end of 2005) to allow it to better target transnational crime. The GOS anticipates completing the arrangements by mid-2006. NGOs and source-country consular officials say the Singapore government is attentive to all indications of trafficking and thoroughly investigates when there is evidence of such crimes. For example, in 2005, although transit passengers are not specifically screened, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority arrested a woman in the transit lounge after an alert airport employee noticed she did not speak the same language as the children traveling with her. She was charged and tried for trafficking but was ultimately exonerated when the children's parents were located and told police the woman was a family friend who had agreed, with the consent of both parents, to bring the children to their mother in Paris. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) also maintains a record of offenses (ranging from minor technical infractions up to serious crimes) committed by employers of foreign workers and can and does bar persons from employing foreign domestics based on past abuse. From January to September 2004, the Ministry blacklisted 54 employers for abusing their maids, and between 2001 and June 2003 jailed 22 employers for abuse. (Note: Post expects to receive updated statistics by mid-March, and will file revised text at that time. End Note.) MOM also revoked the licenses of six employment agencies for violating the Employment of Foreign Workers Act in 2005. In February 2006, MOM adopted a demerit system for employment agencies, with infractions earning 3, 6, or 12 demerits depending on the severity; 12 cumulative demerits will result in revocation of the company's license. The tally of all employment agencies demerits is available for public viewing on the Ministry's website (www.mom.gov.sg). The Ministry also bars some employers of other foreign workers from obtaining work permits based on patterns of misconduct (e.g., nonpayment of wages or inadequate housing); SINGAPORE 00000630 007 OF 007 in industries heavily dependent on foreign workers, such as construction, the prospect of being so barred acts as a strong incentive for employers not to mistreat their workers. ¶H. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication between various agencies, internal, international, and multilateral on trafficking-related matters, such as a multi-agency working group or task force? Does the government have a trafficking in persons working group or a single point of contact? Does the government have a public corruption task force? There is an independent anti-corruption agency with broad powers, which aggressively pursues cases of possible corruption against government officials and private citizens. There is not a formal anti-trafficking task force; however, Singapore is an efficiently run municipality of 4 million, and interagency coordination within its small government is generally excellent. In addition, government agencies cooperate well with foreign diplomatic representatives and NGOs in dealing with the rare cases of trafficking, and in implementing measures that prevent trafficking from occurring. ¶J. Does the government have a national plan of action to address trafficking in persons? If so, which agencies were involved in developing it? Were NGOs consulted in the process? What steps has the government taken to disseminate the action plan? The government does not have a specific national plan of action to address trafficking in persons per se, given the small number of cases and diverse nature of the crimes here. Instead, it gives full authority to various agencies to implement available laws and regulatory tools to combat the various crimes that comprise "trafficking in persons." MHA's Criminal Investigative Department is the primary agency for combating sex trafficking, in close coordination with MHA's Immigration and Checkpoint Authority, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and local NGOs. The Ministry of Manpower is the primary agency for addressing labor trafficking, and works closely with source country consular officials, MHA's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Criminal Investigative Department, MCYS, and local NGOs. Ministries have broad authority to adjust implementing regulations to make them more effective without formal approval from Parliament or a central body, although such changes are usually coordinated with other relevant government agencies as well as local NGOs before they are finalized. Regulatory changes are frequently made in this manner -- several times a year, in the case of MOM. The changes are published in the government's gazette (available online) and on the relevant ministry's website, publicized in the media through ministry press releases, and in many cases distributed to subscribers to ministry mailing lists. HERBOLD