SINGAPORE'S SUBMISSION FOR THE 2006 TIP REPORT:

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 07 SINGAPORE 000632

SIPDIS

NOFORN
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 III

REF: A. SINGAPORE 631


B. SINGAPORE 630

C. STATE 3836

D. SINGAPORE 470

E. SINGAPORE 139

F. 05 SINGAPORE 3614


1. (U) This is the third of three messages relaying Embassy
Singapore's 2006 TIP submission. Part III covers Protection
and Assistance to Victims, and details the sources Post has
consulted in preparing this submission.

PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS
--------------


2. (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?

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. Finding
employment can be difficult, however, as there are few jobs
in Singapore for unskilled workers with limited English
skills, and domestic workers may have difficulty taking
sufficient time off to participate in police investigations.
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 or the Good Shepherd Center. 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. In a 2002 case, the
12-year old Malaysian girl referred to above stayed at the
Toa Payoh Girls Home, while preparations were made to return
her to her parents, where she received counseling and other
services tailored to her needs. 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. One consular official described Immigration
officials in particular as "very good at helping people," and
noted that they handled all requests for assistance
professionally and expeditiously.


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, and does support a clinic
that provides health services and counseling to victims.
(Note: The GOS provided approximately SGD 250,000 in 2004.
Post will report 2005 amount when it is available. End note.)
Source country consular officials say that Singapore police
and social workers have been helpful in providing victims
access to any medical care needed, from serious surgical
procedures to new eyeglasses, often free or at heavily
subsidized rates.


SINGAPORE 00000632 002 OF 007



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?

Law enforcement authorities have good cooperative
relationships with NGOs, the Ministry for Community
Development, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Manpower and
foreign diplomatic representatives. 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.


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
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 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, probably because a court case would
require them to remain in Singapore for several months. 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. Prosecutors express
frustration that witnesses who leave Singapore often drop out
of contact or decline to return. 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 any other
benefits to victims for housing or other resources in order
to aid the victims in rebuilding their lives? Where are
child victims placed (e.g. in shelters, foster-care type
systems 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 Singapore government is currently

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undertaking a process by which it will license all shelters
and facilities that cater to children. 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?

Singapore police officers are competent and well trained to
recognize and assist victims of such crimes. In February
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.
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 international organizations or NGOs, if any, work
with trafficking victims? What types 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, the post
should explain thoroughly. Funding, personnel, and training
constraints should be noted, if applicable. Conversely, a
lack of political will to address the problem should be noted
as well.

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 in their
destination country). The One Hope Center is currently
planning to start a &One-Stop8 center in one of Singapore's
red-light districts by end-2006. It would serve as a shelter
and provide counseling, skills training, and legal advice.
MCYS is partially funding the project. The One Hope 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

SINGAPORE 00000632 004 OF 007


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. The Hand-In-Hand Association, another
group dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to
foreign workers in Singapore, will begin its operations in
March 2006. 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.




SOURCES
--------------


3. (SBU/NF) A. Diplomatic Representatives: Embassy maintains
contact with consular, labor and other officials of embassies
that represent the major source countries for foreign
laborers and sex workers. Note: Foreign domestic workers come
almost exclusively from Indonesia, the Philippines, or Sri
Lanka.

-- Bangladesh

Mokammel Hossain, First Secretary, Labor Attache

-- India

Sanjiv Kumar, First Secretary (consular)

-- Indonesia

Fachry Sulaiman, Second Secretary (consular and protocol)

-- Philippines

Crescente Relacion, First Secretary (consular)

Merriam Cuasay, Labor Attache

-- Sri Lanka

M R Gunaratna, Minister-Counselor

-- Thailand

Kesanee Palanuwongse (Political Counselor)

Phirintra Sucharitakul (Second Secretary, Consular)

-- Vietnam

Nguyen Dinh Nhi, First Secretary (Consular)


B. NGOs, Civil Society, and International Organizations.
Emboffs also met routinely with NGO representatives that deal
with foreign worker and trafficking-related issues.

-- Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2, formerly The Working
Committee 2) is a civil society group formed in 2002 and
registered as a society in 2004 to lobby for improved working

SINGAPORE 00000632 005 OF 007


conditions for Singapore's roughly 150,000 foreign domestic
workers (FDWs).

Braema Mathi, Chairperson

Constance Singham, Member

-- Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People (CMI) runs a
shelter to assist TIP victims and other foreign laborers
(including FDWs) in need. CMI provides frequent assistance to
foreign workers with labor disputes, e.g., over back wages,
interceding with employers and/or the Ministry of Manpower.

-- The Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics runs
two shelters in Singapore for foreign workers and exploited
or vulnerable women. It is also engaged in some public
outreach work aimed at raising awareness of domestic workers
vulnerability to exploitation.

Bridget Lew, Chairperson

-- Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) is
not focused on trafficking as an organization, but it does
work on issues related to the exploitation of women and some
of its individual members and participating organizations
deal with TIP issues.

Braema Mathi, founder

Tisa Ng, President

Sara Dean, Chairperson, Sub-committee on Safety

-- Action For Aids (AFA),an NGO devoted to advocacy and
patient care, has been given a grant through the Department
of STD Control to interact with streetwalkers. AFA
volunteers build relationships with street-based prostitutes,
distribute materials about condoms and sexually transmitted
diseases in a variety of languages, and distribute condoms.

Benedict Jacob-Thambiah, former Executive Director

Paul Toh, Executive Director

Brenton Wong, Vice President

-- One Hope Center, an NGO devoted to assisting women who
wish to escape prostitution, provides shelter, counseling,
liaises with law enforcement and helps women return to their
country of origin. It plans to open its own shelter and
service center this year with the assistance of the Ministry
of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Reverend Dr. Edward Job, President

-- UNIFEM works primarily with victims and NGOs in Batam,
Indonesia, a destination for Singaporeans traveling
independently for sex tourism. It is also involved in public
outreach programs in Singapore calling attention to the
plight of victims, particularly children, of sex tourism.

Saleemah Ismail, Anti-Trafficking Coordinator

Melissa Kwee, President

-- The Good Shepherd Center is one of the shelters to which
the Ministry for Community Development, Youth, and Sports
(MCYS) refers victims in need of assistance.

Sister Agnes, Director


C. Researchers and Observers. Singapore's "authorized"
brothel industry is well-researched by the government
officials, academics and observers with whom we met; the same
persons also study the other parts of the industry
(streetwalkers, lounge hostesses, etc.),although with less
comprehensive information.

Dr. Wong Mee Lian (protect) is a professor in the Department
of Occupational Health and Family Medicine at the National
University of Singapore. Since the early 1990s, she has
instructed Singapore's sex workers on negotiating condom use
and other safe sex practices. She has conducted scholarly
studies based on hundreds of interviews with both sex workers

SINGAPORE 00000632 006 OF 007


and clients, to whom she has good access. Dr. Wong manages a
database in which all registered sex workers dating back to
1990 are listed with pertinent identifying information such
as age.

Dr. Roy Chan (protect) is the Director of Singapore's
Department of STD Control and (in his off time) head of the
NGO Action for AIDS. His clinic conducts the medical exams
and tests on brothel employees. Action for AIDS promotes
safe sex among the workers both in the tolerated and
freelance brothels.

Dr. Ganapathy Narayanan (protect) is a professor of sociology
at the National University of Singapore specializing in
deviance and social control. He is very familiar with the
history of prostitution in Singapore and how the trade is
regulated in other countries.

Sharon Wee is a former student of Dr. Wong who wrote her
Masters thesis on the clients of sex workers. She
participated in numerous programs with Dr. Wong and worked
directly with both sex workers and their clients in the
course of her research.

Dr. Pattana Kitiarsa is a Thai postdoctoral fellow at the
Asia Research Institute at the National University of
Singapore whose research focuses on Thai migrant workers in
Singapore, including Thai prostitutes.

Daniel Tung (protect) is a researcher and project coordinator
at the Department of STD Control, who has worked the past
three years on a project monitoring trends among
streetwalkers in Singapore and encouraging women to use
condoms and get regular health checks.

Salma Khalik (protect) is a health correspondent at the
Straits Times who was involved in writing a recent series of
articles that highlighted the rising rates of AIDs and other
sexually transmitted diseases and the link to both
prostitution and sex tourism.


D. Government Officials. The Embassy interacts with several
government agencies on trafficking-related issues.

-- The Ministry of Home Affairs includes all Singapore's law
enforcement agencies, including the police and immigration
officials. The MHA provided details of anti-vice operations,
information on the detained sex workers, and other statistics
relevant to anti-vice operations. The Ministry also has
information on specific cases, including charges against vice
abettors and pimps.

Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs

Tony Soh, Director, Policy and Operations

Cecilia Chew, Senior Assistant Director, Policy and
Operations Division


-- The Ministry of Manpower handles all issues relevant to
foreign workers in Singapore, including maid abuse cases,
wage claims, and complaints about working conditions. The
Foreign Manpower Management Division was established in
August 2003, concentrating and expanding the staff dealing
with foreign worker issues; one mandate is to consider and
implement new policy initiatives aimed at safeguarding
foreign workers.

Ng Cher Pong, Director, Foreign Manpower Management Division
(Policy)

Kenneth Yap, Head, International Relations Unit

-- The Attorney General's Chambers provides information on
specific prosecutions, i.e. the statutes under which
traffickers and vice abettors are charged. They can also
address the state of inter-agency deliberations on
international agreements Singapore is considering signing.
The AGC also provide centralized legal support for
Singapore's government, from drafting of new laws to
negotiation and adherence to international agreements.

Jaswant Singh, Deputy Public Prosecutor and Directorate

SINGAPORE 00000632 007 OF 007


Leader, Trial Litigation 1B Directorate

Marcus Song, State Counsel, International Affairs Division

-- The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
handles all aspects of victims, assistance. The Ministry
places victims either in Government-run facilities, in
shelters run by foreign embassies, or in shelters run by NGOs
and church groups.

Ang Bee Lian, Director, Rehabilitation and Protection Division

Corinne Koh, Deputy Director, Family and Child Protection and
Welfare Branch

Marie Yeo, Assistant Director, Programmes Development
Section, Family and Child Protection and Welfare Branch

Grace Cheong, Senior Policy Officer, Policy and Development
Branch

-- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not itself possess
information needed to compile the TIP report, but we channel
requests for such information through Directorate II. MFA
also is involved in Singapore's participation in
international meetings and relevant international agreements.

Simon Wong, Director, Policy, Planning and Analysis,
Directorate II

Leow Siu Lin, Deputy Director, North America, Policy,
Planning and Analysis, Directorate II

Ms. Vanessa Chan, Assistant Director, Specialized Agencies
and Multilateral Issues Section, International Organization
Directorate

Mr. Jonathan Han, Country Officer, North America, Policy,
Planning and Analysis, Directorate II

HERBOLD