US embassy cable - 05SINGAPORE3468

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SINGAPORE 003468 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
INL/CTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM, PHUM, ELAB, KWMN, SN 
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT ON SINGAPORE'S DOMESTIC 
WORKERS CAUSES A STIR 
 
1.  (U) Summary. The government of Singapore reacted 
immediately and briskly to Human Rights Watch's (HRW) 
exhaustive December 6 report on abuse of foreign domestic 
workers (FDWs) in Singapore.  The government-linked media has 
covered the report and reactions from the government and 
local community extensively, echoing the growing national 
debate on treatment of FDWs and the labor laws governing 
them.  The report makes an important contribution to 
Singaporean reformers' efforts to effect change.  End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  On December 6, HRW released its 126-page report, 
which detailed the actual and potential abuse of FDWs (i.e., 
maids) in Singapore, identified the gaps in Singapore's 
regulatory system for FDWs, and recommended specific actions 
for the GOS, source country governments, employment agencies, 
and international organizations and donors.  (The full text 
of the report can be found at www.hrw.org.)  The Ministry of 
Manpower published a two-page press statement on the morning 
following the report's release, reiterating its stand that 
the GOS does not tolerate abuse or exploitation of foreign 
domestic workers and citing its efforts over the past few 
years to address the concerns highlighted in the report.  The 
MOM noted, for example, that in the first three quarters of 
2005, the GOS had prosecuted four employers for failure to 
pay their maids and jailed three of them.  Minister for 
Manpower Ng Eng Hen gave an interview with BBC Radio to 
refute the allegation that maids are not adequately 
protected, saying, "Obviously, I think there is room for 
improvement for every country... We have never claimed there 
are no abuses.  What we said is that our laws are transparent 
and we follow through with enforcement with great vigor." 
Local NGOs expressed surprise at how vehemently the 
government responded; Braema Mathi of the local advocacy 
group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) granted the 
government's point that most maids are not abused, but 
praised HRW's report and welcomed its contribution to the 
local effort to lobby for greater maids rights and 
protections. 
 
3.  (SBU) Local advocacy and aid groups working with foreign 
workers welcomed the report, noting that it was 
well-researched and called public attention to many of the 
issues that they have been working on -- such as the need for 
more specific guidelines on the "adequate" rest periods, 
living quarters, and freedom of movement that the work permit 
regulations require, but do not define.  While local groups 
do not agree with all of HRW's recommendations -- TWC2 does 
not believe domestic workers should be dealt with under the 
Employment Act, for example, or that the government needs to 
set up an entirely new accreditation system -- several of our 
NGO contacts said they expect that the HRW report will 
positively affect public discussions of the issue.  Maid 
abuse and the rights of foreign workers have become a 
frequent topic of public debate in forums such as blogs, 
online chat rooms, and the write-in pages of the local 
newspapers, and the HRW report will provide new fodder for 
debate. 
 
4.  (SBU) Comment:  The GOS's initial response to criticism 
on any subject usually is brisk and defensive.  In this case, 
GOS officials may feel the criticism more acutely than usual, 
since they have been making a significant and sincere effort 
to address recognized problems with foreign maids, as 
documented in our 2005 TIP Report.  The concerns about labor 
standards for foreign domestic workers raised by the HRW 
report are real, however.  In a very small number of cases, 
employers' treatment of FDWs is probably severe enough to 
meet the definition of trafficking in persons.  More 
generally, the laws governing their working conditions and 
other labor matters are under increasing public scrutiny. 
The government and local NGOs track these issues closely, and 
reform efforts are ongoing. 
 
5. (SBU) Comment, continued:  Despite the current furor, the 
HRW report does not say anything that Singaporeans themselves 
are not already saying -- advocacy groups and private 
citizens here have been publicly calling for more 
well-defined legal rights and greater protection for foreign 
workers for some time.  The Ministry of Manpower has been 
introducing new or improved regulations every few weeks and 
appears to be cautiously moving toward more stringent labor 
standards and more active enforcement.  HRW's identification 
of the problems and proposed solutions will add impetus to 
this effort.  Despite the GOS's initial rebuttals, we have no 
doubt it will review the criticisms thoroughly and eventually 
move to address the problems identified.  In Singapore 
fashion, however, it will let some time pass before doing so 
to avoid the perception that it is merely reacting to the HRW 
report. End comment. 
 
HERBOLD