NGOs say more can be done to help duped foreign
workers
By Esther Ng, TODAY | Posted:
05 September 2008 1108 hrs
SINGAPORE: They were promised well-paying jobs as waitresses in
Singapore, food and lodging all paid for; all they needed to do was
to buy an air ticket.
But when Rosa, 28, and Gabrielle, 26, (not their real
names) arrived in Singapore, they were whisked from the airport to
a bar in Tanjong Katong and were told to entertain
men.
"We were shocked. The girls were acting like prostitutes. We
thought we would be working as waitresses," said Rosa.
Stories of unscrupulous labour agents promising foreign workers
lucrative jobs in Singapore are not new. In July, The Daily
Express, a newspaper in Sabah, reported how a group of Sabahan
young men and women ended up doing menial jobs in the Republic.
One of them, a 21-year-old Sabahan, told the paper that he was
promised a job in the hotel sector, but he ended up being forced to
clean septic tanks and was given only one meal a day.
The youth claimed that some 70 Sabahan youths, including about
20 girls, were facing a similar predicament.
Why, despite Singapore's strict labour laws, are we still
hearing stories of foreign workers being duped into coming to
Singapore?
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that TODAY spoke to said
these people -usually from rural areas - are not very educated and
naive. If this is the case, is there any way Singapore can better
inform foreign workers about the work conditions here?
What about host countries, such as Indonesia, the Philippines
and Bangladesh? Are they doing enough to educate their citizens
about the market conditions in Singapore?
The Philippine government seems most proactive in this respect.
It has a special agency, the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency,
that is tasked with deploying Filipino workers overseas.
The agency has units which investigate and prosecute illegal
recruiters. Under Philippine law, illegal recruitment is a criminal
act and punishable by imprisonment and/or fine.
According to the Philippine Ambassador to Singapore, Ms Belen
Fule-Anota, the embassy constantly reminds its local government
units to be vigilant against illegal job recruiters and
agencies.
And while its efforts are commendable, the Philippine government
has found it hard educating its citizens that most will not qualify
for Singapore's employment schemes and that the work promised by
illegal recruiters are just a sham - hence stories like Rosa's and
Gabrielle continue to be told.
It doesn't help that many who have been duped are unwilling to
make a police report.
"Women who have trafficked into the sex trade just want to go
home. They are scared to make a police report because they are
afraid that the syndicates will harm them or their family members,"
said Ms Saleemah Ismail, president of the United Nations
Development Fund for Women (Unifem) Singapore.
Another reason, according to Ms Bridget Liew, founder and
president of Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, is
that a police investigation would mean that they would have to stay
back to give evidence in court.
"This could take a few months to a year depending on the case.
In the mean time, the women languish at a shelter as they can't
find work," explained Ms Liew.
In April this year, Nominated MP Eunice Olsen asked Mr Gan Kim
Yong, the Acting Minister for Manpower, what was being done to
prevent rogue agents from duping foreign workers into coming to
Singapore, and whether those who have been duped are considered to
have committed any offence and therefore treated as criminals.
Mr Gan replied that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will revoke
the licences of employment agencies found to be involved in such
scams.
Agencies operating without a licence will be charged under the
Employment Agencies Act and fined up to S$5,000; repeat offenders
can be fined up to S$10,000, jailed up to six months, or both.
"If investigations reveal that victims of such scams unknowingly
overstayed or worked illegally, they will not be prosecuted.
Instead, they will be issued Special Passes and allowed to work
under MOM's Temporary Jobs Scheme," he said.
Foreign nationals required as prosecution witnesses will also be
issued with Special Passes to remain in Singapore, and allowed to
participate in the Temporary Jobs Scheme.
The MOM will also be sharing information on such scams with the
embassies of the countries involved, so that they can help warn
their nationals against unscrupulous employment agencies in their
home countries, Mr Gan said.
CALL FOR GREATER COORDINATION
However, several NGO officials say that illegal construction
workers are more likely to seek redress if they can apply for a
Special Pass and work while they testify against their errant
employment agency.
It is harder for women who have been duped to identify agents or
syndicates since these businesses are shady and most probably not
registered.
Moreover, these women have to deal with the trauma of sexual
abuse, the burden of debt and the fear that their family members
may be in harm's way. The last thing they want to do is to prolong
their stay in Singapore.
According to Ms Saleemah: "It would help if our police were
trained to be deal with women who have been trafficked, perhaps
that might encourage them to bring charges against these
syndicates."
President of Transient Workers Count Two, Mr John Gee, suggests
that greater coordination between home and recipient countries is
needed to address the problem of trafficking.
These include protection for witnesses, financial support for
these trafficked victims, stepping-up anti-human trafficking laws
and reducing poverty in the region.
On its part, MOM says it is working with all the relevant
organisations to extend a helping hand to workers affected by
unscrupulous employment agents. - TODAY/fa
