World Day against Trafficking in Persons Statement 2023

This World Day against Trafficking in Persons, we are encouraged by Singapore’s maintenance of its Tier 1 status in the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons 2023 Report. In particular, the  labour trafficking conviction under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA) that was secured in 2022 has highlighted the oppressive levels of deception, debt bondage and coercion that trafficking victims face. 


At the same time, the report notes that despite the existence of cases of domestic worker abuse with trafficking indicators, there are no prosecutions and convictions with cases of domestic servitude under the PHTA. In this regard, we note that there is a fine line between the complaints made by migrant workers on the one hand - usually categorised either as labour infractions which may be resolved through mediation and administrative processes, or as Penal Code offences, and on the other hand, situations that trafficking victims face. Strengthening our labour protections, including the right to switch employers and eradicating recruitment fees, will go a long way in decreasing any likelihood of workers being exposed to trafficking or forced labour situations. 

While strong punitive measures are necessary as a deterrent against behaviours that fall within or are in the ambit of trafficking, our TIP regime needs to be focussed on a victim-centric, rights based approach which provides adequate support to survivors. The success in our TIP regime does not simply lie in the number of convictions secured, or by the severity of the punishment meted out to the perpetrators - we should also implement trauma-informed approaches that prioritises care and employment security towards individuals who make reports about alleged situations of trafficking, so that trafficking victims are empowered to report their perpetrators. 

There is a lack of clearly-defined terms in the PHTA that prevents individuals who have been trafficked from being identified. Indicators such as “abuse of vulnerability”, “coercion”, “deception” and “exploitation” should be clearly defined in the PHTA, in accordance with international standards, so that survivors of TIP are identified and their cases investigated.

We also make the following recommendations to help strengthen our TIP regime: 

  • Increase investigations of labour trafficking, including cases involving domestic workers, debt manipulation, or psychological coercion; 

  • Increase capacity building programmes on trafficking for authorities, including victim identifying and prosecution;

  • Reducing the power of employers in maintaining the legal status of migrant workers, consequently resulting in forced labour or forced repatriation;

  • The right for victims to not be punished when breaking the law while being trafficked;

  • Continue to strengthen cooperation and dialogue with NGOs for developing and implementing anti-trafficking policies and assisting victims;

  • Access to legal assistance for all victims;

  • The right to decent work opportunities for victims, and guaranteed compensation. 

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