Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Singapore (Ratification: 1965)

Articles 1(1) and 2(1) of the Convention. Legislation concerning destitute persons. In its previous comments, the Committee referred to provisions of the Destitute Persons Act, 1989, under which destitute persons may be required, subject to penal sanctions, to reside in a welfare home (sections 3 and 16) and to engage in any suitable work for which the medical officer of the home certifies them to be capable, either with a view to fitting them for employment outside the welfare home or with a view to contributing to their maintenance in the welfare home (section 13). In this regard, the Committee pointed out that the imposition of labour under the Destitute Persons Act, 1989, comes under the definition of “forced or compulsory labour” in Article 2(1) of the Convention, and that the Convention makes no exception for labour imposed “in the context of rehabilitation” of destitute persons.

The Committee notes the Government’s statement that rehabilitation programmes are in place in welfare homes to help residents reintegrate back into the community, and this programme includes imparting residents with social, work and life skills. The Government states that the work skills programme in welfare homes is aimed at preparing residents for their reintegration into the community by providing them with skills for independent living. This programme requires voluntary cooperation and participation from residents, and no coercion is employed. In 2012, 24 per cent of welfare home residents were involved in the works skills programme, working voluntarily from one to four hours for a few days a week. Residents must be certified medically fit to carry out work and give their signed consent before they are placed in the work skills programme. They also receive an allowance or income for the work performed. Noting that, in practice, the work performed appears to be voluntary, the Committee encourages the Government to take measures to bring section 13 of the Destitute Persons Act into line with both the indicated practice and the Convention. Pending the adoption of such measures, the Committee requests the Government to provide examples of signed documents indicating the consent to work of the residents of welfare homes.

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25. Trafficking in persons The Committee notes that the Singapore Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons was established in 2010, in recognition of the threat of trafficking in persons in the country. In 2012, this Taskforce launched a national plan of action for 2012–15. According to this national plan of action, human trafficking offences are addressed in various pieces of legislation, including the Penal Code and the Women’s Charter, and a review of all legislation related to trafficking will be undertaken to ensure that the necessary legislative framework is in place to combat this phenomenon. The Committee also notes that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in its concluding observations of 10 August 2011, expressed concern regarding the continuing prevalence of trafficking in women and girls in the country, as well as the lack of a comprehensive legal framework to combat trafficking and provide protection for victims (CEDAW/C/SGP/CO/4, paragraph 25). The Committee expresses the firm hope that the Government will pursue its efforts, within the framework of the national plan of action for 2012–15, to strengthen the legal framework to combat trafficking in persons. The Committee requests the Government to provide, in its next report, information on the measures taken to prevent, suppress and combat trafficking in persons, as well as steps taken to provide appropriate assistance and protection to victims. Lastly, it requests the Government to provide information on the application of the existing national legislation in practice, including the number of prosecutions, convictions and the specific penalties applied.