Hazel Inglis/ Global Crime/ 9/4/08/ 9:12pm
In Singapore, prostitution is legal but pimping and public solicitation is not; the industry is dominated by woman from the Philippine, Thailand, China, and Vietnam. There were 212 cases of human trafficking reported last year involving Filipinas woman, 125 in 2006, and 59 cases in 2005. These numbers are not accurate because they are based on only the woman that came to the Philippine embassy for help. In 2008, the US State Department put Singapore on its list of countries that are not doing enough about the problem in their Trafficking in Persons report, along with Cambodia and Sierra Leone. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs responses was that the reported cases of forced prostitution fell to 28 last year from 33 in 2006 and 35 in 2005. Human trafficking experts said Singapore's figures differ from the US report because the police do not consider women as trafficking victims if they arrive voluntarily. In contrast, the United Nations counts women as victims if they are lured by false promises about working conditions, and if they are exploited. Experts say, “Singapore is still in denial mode”
Any form of human trafficking is horrible; whether it is prostitution, child labor, or any kind of forced labor. Countries where this is a problem are either in serious denial mode or they are really being run by the pimps. Either way, they need to wake up and help the people or other organizations should step in and do more about the problem.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=9&art_id=71050&sid=20418654&con_type=1&d_str=20080902&fc=7
3 comments:
As terrible as we perceive their circumstances to be, often times they see prostitution as their means to survival. Shameful, yes it is and often times that are treated as outcasts amongsts their families, and typically they seek friendship within these rings of prostitution. It is truly sad that people have to reduce themselves to such circumstances however, it is a reality.
As terrible as we perceive their circumstances to be, often times they see prostitution as their means to survival. Shameful, yes it is and often times that are treated as outcasts amongsts their families, and typically they seek friendship within these rings of prostitution. It is truly sad that people have to reduce themselves to such circumstances however, it is a reality.
Terrible indeed. I don't really know what they can do, though; since prostitution is legal, women who need the work will go willingly, and stopping cases of deception isn't gonna happen. As for the human trafficking angle, it's a hard problem to solve, but just like the women who are lied to, it's completely unacceptable. What's disturbing to me is how little change there is in the numbers over the years, since these numbers are not even an accurate reflection of the situation.
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