Singapore

Singapore

Due to its fast-growing economy, Singapore relies on a huge foreign workforce to augment manpower needs. Today, there are about 1.2 million foreign workers in Singapore; more than 70% are low-wage migrant workers holding jobs in the construction, manufacturing, hospitality, entertainment or services sector, including domestic service. Singapore is one of the largest destination countries for migrant domestic workers in Southeast Asia.

Exploiting Singapore’s vibrant economic status, criminal syndicates deceive vulnerable women into working in Singapore with false job offers and promises of a better life for their families. From 2020-2021, Hagar’s assistance to trafficked and exploited women migrant workers grew by 42%. Many of these workers are from countries in South and South East Asia; particularly, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, India and Bangladesh, with backgrounds of poverty, limited education and skills. Because of their inherent vulnerabilities, these women lack access to remedies when they are exploited or abused.

Hagar works with the Singapore Government’s Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons to provide victim support and increase awareness of this serious crime. Once a victim is identified as a bona fide case of human trafficking, the local authorities refer the victim to Hagar to receive recovery care and empowerment through Hagar’s Trauma Recovery and Resettlement Programme.

This support includes providing survivors with safe accommodation, legal support, trauma-informed counselling and therapy, healthcare services, English and digital literacy, skills building programmes and reintegration assistance to help them start a new life. Hagar’s assistance to survivors extends beyond their stay in Singapore. Even after they have returned to their home countries, following their court case closure in Singapore, Hagar continues to work with local partner agencies and counterparts to provide survivors with access to continuing education, economic skills and assistance. With a long-term goal of helping them reach economic independence and freedom from re-exploitation, Hagar focuses on helping survivors become  self-reliant by assisting them to build secure and productive livelihoods to support themselves and their families.

Our reach continues to expand as we strengthen alliances with new and existing partners including NGOs, government ministries, corporates, businesses, academic institutions, community groups and the civil society. Collaborations with stakeholders aim to support recovery for victims, influence systemic change through strengthened polices, systems and processes, and prevent human trafficking and abuse from occurring in the first place. Since 2014, Hagar have trained more than 4,000 Singapore frontline policemen and partner agencies on human trafficking and victim identification, and have reached millions more through our awareness and media initiatives.

Learn more about how our work in Singapore is changing lives.

Support a survivor in Singapore today. Donate Now.

Help us transform lives

Donate now

By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.

Help us transform lives

Donate now

By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.

Help us transform lives

Donate now

By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.

Help us transform lives

Donate now

By partnering with Hagar, you’re supporting survivors to heal from the trauma of severe abuse. Our work is dependent on charitable giving by people like you.