U.S. Dep't of State, 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report: Singapore

SINGAPORE (Tier 1) The Government of Singapore fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore, Singapore remained on Tier 1. These efforts included increasing trafficking investigations and convictions; identifying more victims; enhancing and providing more victim referrals to protective services; and increasing funding for victim assistance, prevention, and partnership efforts. The government continued to update training programs for front-line officials to understand and implement trafficking indicators and institutionalized comprehensive support programs for foreign domestic workers and trafficking victims.

Although the government meets the minimum standards, it prosecuted fewer alleged traffickers, and courts sentenced several traffickers convicted under non-trafficking laws to lesser penalties of imprisonment than those prescribed under the anti-trafficking law. Despite reports of trafficking indicators in cases involving domestic worker abuse, the government has never prosecuted or convicted any cases of domestic servitude under the trafficking law. The government did not take steps to eliminate recruitment fees charged to workers by Singaporean labor recruiters or ensure any recruitment fees were paid by employers. PRIORITIZED RECOMMENDATIONS: Using the 2014 anti-trafficking law, investigate and prosecute traffickers, including traffickers exploiting domestic workers in labor trafficking and children in sex trafficking, and seek adequate penalties for trafficking convictions, which should involve significant prison terms.

Eliminate all recruitment or placement fees charged to workers by labor recruiters and ensure any fees are paid by employers. Increase efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims, particularly among vulnerable populations, specifically for individuals in commercial sex, migrant workers, and foreign domestic workers. Continue to train law enforcement on trafficking indicators, including screening for debt manipulation and psychological coercion, with increased attention to foreign domestic workers, individuals in debt, and individuals in commercial sex. Continue to increase resources for investigative and prosecutorial training on trafficking for Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officials who handle labor inspections.

Work with employers and NGOs to increase migrant workers’ access to helplines and reporting channels, including access to mobile phones. Increase and institutionalize cooperation and dialogue with NGOs on victim assistance before, during, and after criminal investigations of traffickers. Continue implementing reforms to the work permit sponsorship system so it does not provide excessive power to sponsors or employers in granting and maintaining the legal status of migrant workers. Train judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials on the application of anti-trafficking laws, elements of trafficking, investigative techniques, and evidence collection specific to trafficking cases.

Strengthen the legal framework to ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

PROSECUTION

The government maintained law enforcement efforts. The 2014 Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA) criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and fines up to 100,000 Singapore dollars (SGD) ($73,367.57), which were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as kidnapping. In addition, Article 140 of the Women’s Charter criminalized “forced prostitution” involving detention or physical force, and Article 141 criminalized the movement of women and girls for “trafficking” but did not define this term. Penalties prescribed for these offenses included a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 SGD ($73,367.57).

The government investigated most suspected labor trafficking cases as labor law offenses under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), or the Employment Act, which carried lower penalties than the anti-trafficking law. The government initiated 45 trafficking investigations (40 for sex trafficking and five for labor trafficking) in 2024, compared with 23 investigations in 2023 (22 for sex trafficking and one for labor trafficking); authorities determined 40 of these investigations did not meet the threshold for prosecution under the PHTA and either referred the cases to other law enforcement branches or brought charges under other sexual or labor exploitation laws under the Women’s Charter or the Penal Code. Four sex trafficking cases and one labor trafficking case remained under investigation at the close of reporting period. The government initiated prosecutions of three alleged sex traffickers; this compared with prosecution of nine traffickers in 2023.

Authorities continued prosecution of 11 defendants from previous years; one case led to prosecution under the PHTA. There were no convictions under PHTA; courts convicted 11 sex traffickers under the Penal Code, Women’s Charter, and Children and Young Persons Act. By comparison there were nine convictions in 2023 (one labor trafficker convicted under the PHTA and eight under the Penal Code). The courts sentenced the convicted traffickers to terms of imprisonment ranging from five weeks to 21 months and at times fines or caning under the Penal Code, Women’s Charter, and Children and Young Persons Act; however, the majority of traffickers received punishments of less than one year’s imprisonment.

Authorities investigated and prosecuted suspected trafficking crimes, including child sex trafficking, under non-trafficking statutes due to evidentiary challenges or difficulties proving elements of trafficking required by the PHTA beyond a reasonable doubt. Observers believed prosecutors and judges were more comfortable using other laws and precedents to secure convictions. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees allegedly complicit in human trafficking crimes. Despite ongoing and significant reports of concerns among foreign domestic workers, the government has never prosecuted any cases of domestic servitude under the PHTA; instead, it used other laws to convict offenders, although in some cases the penalties were lower than those prescribed in the PHTA.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the MOM led the government’s investigative efforts and the Attorney General’s Chambers led the government’s prosecutorial efforts. The government added new trainings on debt manipulation and psychological coercion as a trafficking risk factor and continued training SPF, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), and MOM officials on victim identification, legislation enforcement, and trafficking indicators including psychological coercion. Authorities continued cooperation with foreign counterparts and INTERPOL through information sharing and joint operational exercises on ongoing international trafficking cases, including those involving online scam operations; authorities did not discover any scam compounds operating in Singapore. The government’s 2023 extradition treaty with Indonesia came into force and it began development of initial mutual legal assistance agreements with the Republic of Korea and Vietnam.

PROTECTION

The government increased protection efforts. The government identified 53 potential trafficking victims (six sex trafficking victims, including one adult female and five girls; eight adult female potential labor trafficking victims; and 39 victims of unspecified forms of trafficking, including three men, 19 women, five boys, and 12 girls), compared with identifying 24 potential victims (including 23 sex trafficking victims and one labor trafficking victim) in 2023. Authorities identified most victims through reports to law enforcement, including victim self-identification via the general police hotline, a web-based reporting form, police reports, and direct interactions with frontline officers. SPF, MOM, and ICA officials had victim identification and referral SOPs, and other government officials, civil society organizations, and foreign embassies could refer potential victims to the MOM and the SPF.

Some observers reported authorities inadequately screened for indicators such as passport retention, forced confinement, and non-payment of wages during law enforcement actions on commercial sex establishments, and that authorities did not consistently use trauma-informed practices in victim identification and trafficking investigations. As such, authorities did not take effective measures to prevent the inappropriate penalization of potential trafficking victims solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. The government enhanced implementation of its victim identification SOPs by distributing new trafficking indicator cards, updated in the previous reporting period, to all law enforcement officials, including immigration officers; screening more arriving and departing travelers; and increasing the number of “touchpoints” with migrant workers to conduct screening. SPF interviewed more than 880 arriving travelers, which led to the discovery of three potential trafficking cases; and observers noted increased government collaboration with NGOs to screen and assess trafficking indicators.

Given the rise of the Internet as a tool for recruitment and exploitation, the government leveraged technological tools to examine seized Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) to proactively identify the individuals exploited, including potential child trafficking victims, and determine where materials had been produced locally; this led to the identification of two child victims of sexual abuse in Singapore and one perpetrator, which potentially involved trafficking crimes. The government referred cases with labor trafficking indicators, including passport retention and non-payment of wages, to mediation or issued administrative penalties and warnings. The government, in partnership with NGOs, provided food, temporary shelter, counseling, and other protective services to trafficking victims regardless of their participation in investigations. The PHTA reported only temporary shelter and counseling as specific victim services but allowed the Director-General of Social Welfare to expand the scope of services available to victims on a case-by-case basis, including services such as access to interpreters, medical services, skills development, temporary work permits, legal support, and resettlement assistance.

Services were available to potential victims, including before authorities established a trafficking investigation and regardless of the law under which their cases were prosecuted, and were not contingent on victims’ participation in investigations. In 2024, the government reported offering assistance, including food and shelter, temporary employment, interpretation support, and psychological support to 48 potential trafficking victims who remained in the country; the government reported providing services to 24 victims in the previous reporting period. Foreign trafficking victims were legally entitled to the same benefits as citizens for shelter, counseling, and the ability to seek temporary employment as part of the Temporary Job Scheme; eight labor trafficking victims accessed this service in 2024. The government reported spending 230,971 SGD ($169,457.81) on victim assistance, prevention, and partnership efforts, an increase compared with 149,400 SGD ($109,611.15) last year.

In 2024, the Trafficking in Persons Taskforce institutionalized provision of care packages and tailored interventions to identified victims to address victims individual circumstances more appropriately. The government did not require a person to be formally identified as a trafficking victim in order to receive services. In partnership with an NGO, the government continued implementation of its victim care project, which aimed to help victims in the initial stages of recovery by providing care packages including basic necessities and transportation cards; 10 victims received care packages in 2024. The government funded four shelters with a total capacity of 250 for female victims of crime, including trafficking, and their children; the MOM funded two additional shelters available to victims of forced labor and labor exploitation, one of which was specifically designated for men.

Separately an NGO operated an emergency shelter for victims of abuse or supporting investigations of suspected labor offenses, which reported housing 462 people in 2024. The government also provided partial funding and oversight to 21 homes serving children, including child trafficking victims. Authorities permitted freedom of movement for most residents of these facilities, with exceptions made based on individual risk assessments, usually to ensure the victim’s safety from a suspected trafficker. Shelter staff facilitated activities for child victims to ensure their education remained undisrupted, including by making transportation arrangements, proving allowances, and facilitating school enrollment when required.

NGOs often continued supporting foreign trafficking victims referred by the government from previous years. To reduce the potential re-traumatization of victims, the government expanded its One-Stop Abuse Forensic (ONESAFE) Center, where female victims of sex-related crimes, including sex trafficking, could have their interviews and forensic exams conducted in a single, victim-friendly location. The government required female officers to conduct forensic interviews for potential female trafficking victims, with a doctor present if required. In recent years, some NGOs expressed concern whether all interpreters received sufficient training to work with trafficking victims and noted that some victims reported discomfort with interpreters from their home countries, given concerns about imported stereotypes from their shared culture; or incidents in which interpreters make trivializing comments; and gaps in linguistic coverage.

The government reported it briefed interpreters on interview “etiquette,” screened interpreters’ proficiencies and references, and the taskforce began development of a training module for interpreters on such techniques for interviewing. While trafficking victims who are citizens or permanent residents can access government-funded legal aid, NGOs also offered trafficking victims, especially among migrant workers, pro bono legal assistance, including to pursue compensation in civil court, to allow for equivalent assistance in terms of access to legal aid; however, an NGO noted many migrant workers were unaware of this option to receive pro bono legal guidance with interpretation services. Courts have a duty to consider appropriate compensation for trafficking victims during sentencing but did not issue any restitution orders for trafficking cases in 2024, in part because there were no PHTA convictions in 2024. For non-PHTA cases, the government stated the courts reviewed the facts of the cases and determined compensation was not warranted, but did not report further details.

Under Singaporean law, a victim can also file a civil suit against a perpetrator for compensation regardless of the criminal proceeding outcomes; the government reported no trafficking victims filing any civil suits. The government remained without a victim compensation fund. The government permitted special immigration passes for foreign victims to remain and work in the country for the duration of investigations and legal proceedings. Foreign victims could apply for new work permits with new employers after proceedings concluded, but the government reported no victims applying for or receiving one.

The government provided mandatory protective services for victims who participated in prosecutions, including in-camera court proceedings for child victims, protection of the victim’s identity, pre-recorded statements from victims, and media gag orders for all sex trafficking cases.

PREVENTION

The government slightly increased prevention efforts. The interagency task force, co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the MOM, coordinated anti-trafficking efforts through its National Approach against Trafficking in Persons, 2016-2026. The task force continued regularly meeting with NGOs and Industry partners from sectors at risk of trafficking to share policy updates and gather feedback on anti-trafficking initiatives. The government offered grants of up to 15,000 SGD ($11,630) per proposal, consistent with previous years, to civil society for anti-trafficking awareness-raising campaigns, but it did not receive any applications from NGOs to award these funds in 2024.

The government conducted awareness campaigns targeting migrant workers and the public. To improve access to information on trafficking, the government revamped its trafficking webpage by highlighting the trafficking reporting hotline and trafficking indicators and outlining opportunities for the public to collaborate with the government to raise trafficking awareness. MOM also initiated updates to its trafficking webpage to improve the user experience for all stakeholders, including publicizing its anti-trafficking efforts, hosting regular engagement sessions, and publishing a series of informative articles on migrant domestic worker rights. The government implemented improvements to its victim identification materials for frontline officials based on the findings of a study on psychological coercion completed and released in a prior period; it distributed enhanced trafficking indicator cards and trained more frontline officers to detect applicable signs in victims.

Singapore’s Employment Agencies Act (EAA) mandated licensing and regulation of recruitment agents. The law allowed worker-paid recruitment fees; the EAA’s rules capped the maximum recruitment fee a migrant worker may pay a licensed employment agency at one month’s salary for each year of a valid work permit or the period of the employment contract, whichever was shorter, and to an overall maximum of two months’ salary. The government required employment agencies to refund half of the recruitment fee if employment was terminated within six months. The majority of migrant workers in Singapore paid fees to employment agencies in Singapore as well as to recruitment agents in their home country, which contributed to the workers’ vulnerability to debt bondage.

The MOM convicted eight recruitment agencies and issued 65 warning letters or fines to agencies for violations of the EAA such as operating without a license and over-charging recruitment fees, compared with six convictions and 52 warning letters or fines in 2023. Sentences for offenders ranged from fines up to 396,400SGD ($290,829.05) to 24 weeks’ imprisonment for one particular offender in 2024. The government did not report whether the migrant workers affected by these agencies were identified as trafficking victims. The MOM resolved most employment disputes through mediation via the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) and provided an administrative adjudication process for claims in the event mediation did not resolve the dispute.

The government did not report how many claims TADM adjudicated in 2024. In 2023, 3,800 work permit holders lodged salary complaints with TADM and almost all were recovered; if mediation failed, TADM would refer the case to the Employment Claims Tribunal, and it could eventually become a criminal case. The MOM managed the work permit process for foreign workers. Singaporean employers applied to the MOM to sponsor skilled and semi-skilled workers whose employment status and legal immigration status were tied to that specific employer.

However, government policy allowed workers to change their employment without their previous employer’s consent only when workers had employment-related claims, such as salary delays, that the MOM deemed valid or during a pre-defined timeframe before expiry of their work permit. In the past, some observers noted this policy made migrant workers vulnerable to labor exploitation. NGOs stated the restriction on job mobility, coupled with the ability of employers to terminate a worker’s employment at any time without the need to show cause, created a structure that prevented some foreign migrant workers from resisting and contesting exploitation. The government allowed foreign workers in the manufacturing, services, construction, marine shipyard, and processing industries to transfer to a new employer within 21 to 40 days before the work permit expired and allowed workers to find a new employer without consent from their current employer.

The government also continued its policy of allowing foreign domestic workers’ permits to transfer to their employment agency if services were no longer required, or if the employee requested a new employer. NGOs noted abuses like employer-forged documents and overcharged recruitment fees continued, as well as power imbalances favoring employers who had the right to renew or terminate a migrant worker’s work permit, limiting the employee’s ability to find new employment. An NGO previously reported some employment agencies charged foreign domestic workers a second recruitment fee of up to two months’ salary after they changed employers. The government reported piloting initiatives to improve transparency in the migrant worker job-matching process and working with foreign embassies to address unscrupulous practices in the worker’s home country.

Under a pilot initiative aimed at removing middle-men from the process and minimizing or eliminating additional recruitment fees, MOM’s Foreign Manpower Management Policy (FMMP) Unit worked to connect migrant workers from select countries who meet specific criteria – recently ended contracts, plans to depart Singapore within two weeks, and interest in working in Singapore again – with potential employers. Approximately one-third of departing migrant workers met eligibility requirements for this program. Among the estimated 1.1 million migrant workers in Singapore, a reported several hundred thousand resided in privately operated dormitories; in previous years, NGOs expressed concern over a lack of oversight of these facilities and inadequate living conditions. However, in April 2023, the government expanded regulatory oversight to approximately 1,600 dormitories with 439,000 beds, compared with 53 dormitories with 256,000 beds in 2022, and, in October 2023, the government announced plans to raise living standards for approximately 1,000 dormitories by 2030.

As of October 2024, about 200 dormitories with a combined capacity of 70,000 beds, already meet the new standards. Objectives included increasing living space per resident and improving healthcare support and outbreak resilience efforts. MOM regularly conducted unannounced workplace and dormitory inspections and further used these inspection opportunities to speak with the workers privately. Singaporean law did not prescribe a minimum wage.

The Employment Act required employers to negotiate wages and include them in individual contracts of service, but the Act did not apply to foreign domestic workers; foreign domestic workers were instead covered under the EFMA, which lacked clear definitions of appropriate working conditions and limits on overtime, working hours, and sick days. The ambiguity in the law created vulnerabilities employers could exploit. The EFMA required employers to provide a document containing employment terms such as monthly salary, number of rest days, and agency fees. The government continued to implement policies to detect signs of abuse of foreign domestic workers, including more comprehensive health checks without the employer present, increased random house checks, and two interviews, instead of one, during the first year of employment.

The government also provided free SIM cards to all migrant workers to ensure access to assistance and reporting via phone applications and opened new centers where foreign domestic workers could undergo wellness interviews in locations other than worksites. The government also required that migrant workers download a phone application, which included information on worker’s rights, channels of communication with authorities, and signs of exploitation in several languages. The MOM continued to implement a policy requiring employers to notify the MOM if they reduced a migrant worker’s salary from what was stated on the application for the employee’s work permit and after the employer and employee had agreed to the change in writing. Civil society reported employers continued to exploit vulnerable migrant workers through coercive means and forged documents.

In 2024, the government did not convict any employers for making false declarations of higher salaries to obtain employee work passes, a decrease from 20 convictions the previous year. The MOM allowed employers or recruitment agents to open a fee-free bank account on behalf of the employee as part of the recruitment process so the worker’s salary could be electronically paid; the government required employers of migrant workers living in dormitories to open bank accounts for their workers and pay them electronically. The government prohibited employers of foreign domestic workers to retain workers’ wages for “safekeeping;” nevertheless, NGOs noted practices such as cash payments, illegal wage deductions, and other forms of labor exploitation continued. The government mandated foreign migrant workers in the construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, and processing industries to arrive at the MOM’s onboarding centers and complete the one-day Settling-in-Program (SIP), delivered by an NGO in seven languages; program staff onboarded approximately 15,000 migrant workers per month.

The program conducted contract reviews and provided information on employment rights and regulations, trafficking awareness, and avenues to report incidents and receive assistance. Separate SIPs were required for foreign domestic workers covering similar topics in four different languages. In 2024, MOM collaborated with an NGO to develop updates to the SIPs to include real-life case studies and trafficking indicators to enhance migrant workers’ understanding of trafficking crimes; implementation remained pending. Additionally, in partnership with a private employment association, MOM published a series of articles aimed to help employers of migrant workers better understand these workers’ rights and best practices when hiring.

The government mandated first-time employers of foreign domestic workers to participate in an employer program to review their responsibilities; an NGO reported some employers likely forgot many of the rules and regulations because they only had to complete the program once and could complete the program online. The government continued to air a pre-departure video at overseas testing centers for construction workers to explain foreign workers’ employment rights. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts but made efforts to counter child sexual exploitation and abuse in the tourism industry by coordinating with a foreign government to deny entry to 11 known child sex offenders. The MOM publicized its phone number and a mobile phone application to report trafficking activity; partially government-funded NGOs also operated 24-hour hotlines for individuals experiencing labor violations.

Authorities identified 22 potential trafficking cases from reports made through hotline calls and two cases referred through the dedicated trafficking reporting email channel. With respect to 2024-2025 ASEAN priorities, SPF established the region’s first hub to combat fraud facilitated through online scam operations based in SE Asia, and the government recognized civilian protections against exploitation in online scam operations as a priority issue. In addition to its ongoing involvement with the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) and ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, in 2024, Singapore participated in the development of Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning Framework for the ASEAN Multi-Sectoral Work Plan Against Trafficking in Persons under the ACTIP. TRAFFICKING PROFILE: Trafficking affects all communities.

This section summarizes government and civil society reporting on the nature and scope of trafficking over the past five years. Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Singapore, and traffickers exploit victims from Singapore abroad. Some of the more than one million foreign work permit holders who comprise almost one-third of Singapore’s labor force are at risk of trafficking. Most victims migrate willingly for work in construction, domestic service, performing arts, manufacturing, the service industry, or engage in commercial sex, but may later face exploitation in these sectors.

To migrate, many workers assume large debts to country-of-origin recruitment and Singaporean agents, placing them at risk for debt-based coercion. Traffickers exploit foreign workers in sex trafficking or forced labor through threats of forced repatriation without pay, restrictions on movement, physical and sexual abuse, and withholding wages and travel documents. Some foreign women employed as domestic workers are at a high risk for trafficking. Female migrant workers, particularly in domestic service, have reported rape, torture, and repeated beatings by Singaporean employers.

Some recruitment agencies illegally engage in contract-switching and charge workers higher fees than the legal limit. Foreign workers have credible fears of losing their work visas and being deported because employers can repatriate workers legally at any time during their contracts with minimal notice. Chinese nationals employed in Singapore at worksites affiliated with Chinese national-owned companies are vulnerable to forced labor. Foreign women who arrive in Singapore to work in the entertainment sector, including nightclubs and bars, are vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking.

Foreign women sometimes arrive in Singapore with the intention of engaging in Singapore’s regulated commercial sex sector, but traffickers use the threat of serious harm or other forms of coercion to exploit the women in sex trafficking. Foreign workers from countries with a small presence in Singapore can experience language barriers that increase their isolation. Traffickers may exploit men in labor trafficking on fishing vessels transiting or docking at Singaporean ports. Traffickers may exploit Singapore victims in forced labor and forced criminality in online scam operations in Southeast Asia.

Children may also be trafficking victims following exploitation for creation of CSAM materials in Singapore. On This Page search > < SINGAPORE (Tier 1) PRIORITIZED RECOMMENDATIONS: PROSECUTION PROTECTION PREVENTION TRAFFICKING PROFILE: Tags Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Human Trafficking Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Reports Singapore