Sex trafficking in Singapore

In the 16th and 17th centuries, prior to colonization, European traders who stopped at ports along the Malayan coast would trade goods with local chiefs for women.^[1] This was one of the methods used to flourish business relationships.^[1] Having a local woman as a wife or concubine would give these traders better access into local markets.^[1] The bought women would act as a local guide and were beneficial to the traders in forming critical connections in the marketplace.^[1] The Dutch continued this practice for decades but as time progressed, growing ideas of nationalism and racial degradation put an end to these mixed marriages.^[1]

Aside from these more permanent relationships, men could buy sexual encounters with local women or slaves in taverns, inns and opium dens.^[1] Businesses began to import large numbers of women and girls from around the region to supply the increasing demand for sexual services.^[1] 

After the British arrived, the colonial government in Singapore imported a large number of laborers from China which resulted in a highly unbalanced sex ratio.^[2] This unbalanced sex ratio resulted in a high demand for sex labor. At that same period, many women from rural Japan and China were willing to migrate within East Asia and engage in sex work to provide for their families.^[2] Organized criminal groups in Singapore took advantage of this situation and created networks between these impoverished women and the laborers in Singapore to profit from the migration of potential sex workers into the nation. ^[2] Despite the government's attempt to enforce legislations, the colony had already built a highly sophisticated, intricately organized and prosperous sex labor network that was unable to be curbed successfully. ^[1]

After Singapore gained independence, the economic boom between the 1960s and 80s saw a turn in the sex labor market.^[1] The economic boom exacerbated existing economic inequalities which caused an increase in the local sex labor industry.^[1] Women were continually trafficked into Singapore to expand the multi-billion dollar sex labor industry. While the new government attempted to completely push the sex labor out of the country, this did not work.^[1] Ultimately in an attempt to grapple with the realities of the trade that was deeply entrenched in society, brothel owners, women and law enforcement officials came to an agreement on unofficial systems that would regulate and control sex labor in the country.^[2] While sex labor was unofficially regulated, sex trafficking was not formally dealt with until the early 21st century.^[3]

Historically, women were often trafficked from South Asia into Singapore for sex work.^[3] During British colonization, women were mainly brought in from regions in Indonesia such as Borneo and Sumatra.^[1] Many of the victims were Chinese, Malay and Indonesian women.^[1]

In current day Singapore, many women are trafficked into Singapore from Southeast Asian countries, mainly Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, under false pretenses of working as a domestic helper or other legal jobs.^[2] These women are forced to work at a KTV or hostess clubs.^[2] Many of these women were brought in through agents and are subject to heavy debts, lack of freedom to move around the country and they are unable to control if clients engage in safe and protected sex with them.^[2] This has resulted in a rise in sexually transmitted diseases which have been unable to be controlled by the government.^[2]

In recent years Singapore has seen a rise in forest based brothels compared to the traditional venues of KTVs and massage parlors.^[4] The conditions in these makeshift brothels are significantly poorer compared to other spots.^[4] The brothel comprises a mattress on the forest floor and a thin tarp to veil the deed.^[4] These brothels are often nearer to migrant worker dormitories.^[4] Victims are driven to the spot daily by their captors and immediately brought back to their apartment after.^[4] Most trafficked victims who work in forest based brothels come from Thailand.^[3]

In the sex labor industry in Singapore, authorities have grouped workers into three broad categories to make identification of sex trafficked victims easier.^[5] The first group are women who have been lied to about the jobs they would be doing and were pressured to come.^[5] The second group are adult men and women who voluntarily sought employment in the sex labor industry but may have been lied to about working conditions such as the number of hours they would have to work.^[5] The third group is minors in the industry. Individuals in the third group are always considered to have been trafficked as they are underage and cannot give informed consent.^[5] The authorities have focused heavily on the third group and many cases they attend involve female minors.^[5]

The perpetrators of sex trafficking in Singapore are often linked to secret societies or an established network of brothels,^[1] commonly in hot spots such as Geylang and Joo Chiat.^[3] In some cases, the perpetrators are friends of the victims and coerce them to come to Singapore with promises of finding good employment.^[3] Some perpetrators also prey on victims in hostess bars overseas and lure them to Singapore with supposed better job prospects.^[3] Once in Singapore, the perpetrators confiscate the victims passports which leaves them stranded in the country and dependent on the pimps.^[4]

Pimps act as agents for these trafficked victims and saddle them with huge debts that the victims have to attempt to pay back by servicing many customers and working long hours.^[4] These pimps also restrict the movement of victims around the country in fear of them escaping or alerting the authorities.^[3] Victims are also unable to use mobile phones without being supervised by their pimps. ^[3] The pimps are often physically or sexually abusive towards victims. ^[3]

While authorities have cracked down on unlicensed brothels in known hot spots like Geylang, these perpetrators merely move their businesses elsewhere, such as to heartland areas like Woodlands or Jurong. ^[3]