Singapore convicts nightclub owners of labour trafficking after ‘harrowing’ abuse

Two Indian nationals who ran clubs in Boat Quay were convicted of abusing their power to exploit three Bangladeshi women

This is the first conviction since a new trafficking law came into force in 2015, and two other cases are pending

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A tour boat plies along the Singapore River. A couple who ran two clubs on Boat Quay was convicted in Singapore’s first labour trafficking case. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:00pm, 20 Nov 2019Updated: 4:00pm, 20 Nov 2019

Singapore warned on Tuesday that it would take “strong” action against labour trafficking after an Indian couple was found guilty of exploiting migrant women, the first such conviction in the affluent city state.

Priyanka Bhattacharya Rajesh, 31, and Malkar Savlaram Anant, 51, were convicted for abusing their power to exploit three Bangladeshi women they recruited to dance at two nightclubs they ran in Boat Quay, a first under Singapore’s anti-trafficking law that came into force in 2015.

The couple had subjected the women to “oppressive conditions” including verbal abuse, control of their movements and confiscation of their passports, court documents showed.

“The conviction of the first labour trafficking case underscores our commitment to combat human trafficking,” said Shirley Lim, a director at Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, adding two other labour trafficking cases were pending in court.

“We will continue to take strong actions to detect, deter and prosecute trafficking-in-persons cases,” she said.

The prosecution said the three Bangladeshi women had to work every day of the week, even when they were ill, and the couple did not pay at least two of them their monthly salary of 60,000 taka (US$707, S$982).

According to local media, the three women lived in a six-bedroom flat with the couple, but were not given a key and were not permitted to go out on their own. They were not allowed to keep their tips and were penalised when they did not meet “revenue targets”.

The couple was also found guilty of prostitution-related charges for forcing one of the women into sex work. She testified that she was forced to “go out” with customers and have sex with them, and the money she received for this was confiscated by the couple.