Members of public invited to share views on upcoming human trafficking bill

Members of the public can share their views on the upcoming human trafficking bill - the first piece of dedicated legislation here to criminalise the practise.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza - who has spoken about the problem in Parliament as early as 2008 - and the Singapore Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking-in-Persons are working with government online engagement platform Reach to gather feedback from the public on the proposed Private Member's Bill on the Prevention of Human Trafficking.

Members of public can get the public consultation document through the Reach portal, and send feedback from now till April 18, 6 pm through e-mail (TIP_Bill@mha.gov.sg) or post (Attn: Joint Operations Management, Joint Operations Division (TIP Bill), Ministry of Home Affairs, New Phoenix Park, 28 Irrawaddy Road, Singapore 329560)

Public consultation sessions will also be held on March 26 and April 15. The first session was conducted on Wednesday. Members of public interested in attending can register by e-mailing their names and contact details to outreach@reach.gov.sg

Mr de Souza, a lawyer, announced his intention to introduce the bill last November. The bill will deal with human trafficking for purposes like sexual exploitation and force labour, and will also give authorities teeth to deal with the problem.

Crimes related to human trafficking are now covered under various legislations like the Women's Charter and the Children and Young Persons Act. These, however, do not address human trafficking specifically.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.