SINGAPORE: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

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