Source:
https://scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3038553/singapore-convicts-nightclub-owners-labour-trafficking Southeast Asia
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
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
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.
When she tried to leave and return to Bangladesh, she was told she would have to pay 400,000 Bangladeshi taka first. She tried to reach an agreement to remit half her earnings but this did not happen.
She ran away in May 2016 after five months on the job, and the other two women left the next month, after working for less than two months.
The prosecution said the women had little education and were made to sign employment contracts in English, which they barely understood. The contracts required them to pay their own return airfares and forfeit one month’s salary if they left early, meaning they had little choice but to comply with the conditions.
Passengers travel by boat along the Singapore River at Boat Quay. Photo: Bloomberg
Their stories were “typical of trafficked victims in Singapore”, according to court documents. They “had very little education, and they came to Singapore to earn a better living. [They] were entirely at the mercy of the accused persons”.
Police received a tip-off about the couple, which resulted in a joint operation with the Ministry of Manpower.
The couple denied the charges, saying the women were not forced to have sex with customers and they had freedom to leave the flat. They also claimed they had not seen the employment contracts. But the judge described the couple as untruthful witnesses, saying they had every reason to lie to conceal their guilt, while the victims had no reason to make up false allegations, and their accounts all corroborated.
“Each of the victims’ evidence was clear, cogent and painted a harrowing picture of the conditions she was subject to at the club and lodging,” the prosecution said.
The court adjourned the sentencing to December 19 after it handed down the guilty verdict last week. The couple each face up to 10 years in jail, whipping and a fine under Singapore’s Prevention of Human Trafficking Act.
Anti-trafficking campaigners said the conviction would send a “strong message” and urged Singapore authorities to raise awareness among migrant workers so that violations are reported.
Clark Quay in Singapore, popular for its nightlife. Photo: SCMP
“Employers should not think they can get away with exploiting another human being,” said Michael Chiam, executive director of anti-trafficking group Hagar International.
Singapore, which has a population of 5.6 million, counts on about 1 million migrant workers from countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, China and Myanmar to fuel its economy, working in sectors from construction to services and home help.
Singapore was ranked “Tier 2” in the latest US Trafficking in Persons Report for not fully meeting minimum standards when it comes to eliminating human trafficking.