Written Reply to Parliamentary Questions on Measures to Deter and Address Human Trafficking in Singapore

Questions:

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the human trafficking situation in Singapore including labour trafficking and sex trafficking; and (b) what further steps are being taken to deter such offences.

Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the measures that have been taken to identify and apprehend the masterminds behind human trafficking in Singapore.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. We have put in place measures at the border to try to detect human trafficking activity.

2. The various agencies also work with community partners such as non-governmental organisations to raise awareness of human trafficking and the available reporting channels.

3. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) regularly conduct enforcement checks in areas where victims of human trafficking may be operating. Frontline officers undergo training on anti-trafficking laws and human trafficking indicators, so that they can effectively detect and respond to human trafficking cases.

4. The human trafficking situation in Singapore is under control. In the past five years, MOM and SPF have investigated 129 cases where signs of human trafficking were detected. Two cases were found to be substantiated and prosecuted under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA). One case was eventually convicted under the PHTA and the other case under the Women’s Charter. The investigations did not find evidence of organised crime in these cases.