Today is Human Rights Day

BBC NEWS | Special Reports | World marks UN Human Rights Day
A comprehensive news report from BBC. Let's celebrate 60 years of the UDHR.

U60 - TWC2 workshop on foreign workers

A good workshop session at Substation, organised by TWC2.

U60 - TOC's 2nd birthday

Speeches galore at Speakers Corner at Hong Lim park.

U60 - public awareness walk to end violence against women

A walk to raise awareness on ending violence against women. Internationally, there are "16 days of activism", revolving around 3 major commemorative days

It was a leisurely walk from Botanic Gardens to the UNIFEM office at Nassim Road.

U60 - film screening at substation

It was great to see a full-house for the film screening.

The dialogue was wonderful too, lots of issues were discussed...

OHCHR Country Framework - Historical context / Political context

Part 2 below should be more "exciting" than Part 1. Here we can draw references to past historical issues (which we may have forgotten) that affect current ongoing issues, e.g. peace process/agreement in Part 2d. With the election of Barack Obama in the United States, there was a discussion of whether Singapore was ready for a non-Chinese Prime Minister. History buffs would know that this is a moot point, as David Marshall was Chief Minister (the equivalent to a Prime Minister) during our self-governance years.

2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT/POLITICAL CONTEXT

1. Historical brief:
1. Temasek
2. Raffles
3. Farquhar
4. Divide-and-rule (Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India)
   
5. Japanese occupation
6. David Marshall
   
7. Lee Kuan Yew
8. Housing & Development Board (HDB)
9. National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
10. Operation Coldstore
    
11. Merger
    
12. Independence
13. National Service
14. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
15. Central Provident Fund (CPF)
16. Operation Spectrum
17. Group Representation Constituencies
    
2. Self-determination (foreign occupation; alien domination; colonial presence; racist regimes; independence movements):
1. colonial presence
2. independence movements
3. Parties to the conflict:
1. no conflict
   
4. Peace process/agreement:
1. David Marshall
   
2. self-government
3. Lee Kuan Yew
   
5. Recent political transitions (First elections; revolution; coup d'état; new constitution):
1. none
   
6. Form of government:
1. parliament
2. http://www.parliament.gov.sg/
7. Principal political parties:
1. People's Action Party
2. Singapore Democratic Alliance
3. Singapore Democratic Party
4. Workers' Party
8. Conflict level (international armed conflict; internal armed conflict; state of emergency; civil disorder/sporadic acts of violence; normality; post-conflict reconstruction; etc.):
1. normality
9. Relationships with neighbouring countries:
1. generally cordial, with occasional issues
10. Membership in political/military/regional alliances:
1. ASEAN
2. APEC
3. PSI
4. FPDA
   
11. Legally sanctioned discrimination (race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinion, origin, property, birth, sexual orientation, other status):
1. race
   
1. race restrictions in the armed forces
2. Group Representation Constituencies
   
2. gender
   
1. CEDAW reservations
2. females excluded from Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship (SAFOS)
3. religion
1. jehovah's witnesses
4. birth
1. certain IC numbers indicate origin of birth
   
5. sexual orientation
1. 377A of Penal Code

1st event of U60

Photos from the children's storytelling sessions on 29th & 30th November 2008 at Jurong Regional Library.

It was a great experience to see the story of Rosa Parks being told to children, especially since most of them looked younger than 7 years old (Primary 1).

OHCHR Country Framework - General Context

Below is part 1 of my take on human rights in Singapore, using the OHCHR Country Framework as a guide. I hope to use this as a systematic tool to evaluate human rights in Singapore. Part 1 doesn't look related to human rights (to a Singaporean), but if you peel past a few layers, you can "imagine" some scenarios. For example, the presence of several ethnic groups suggests that racial equality may be an issue to be discussed.

1. GENERAL CONTEXT
1. Official name of country:
   
1. Republic of Singapore
2. http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/
2. Geographic location:
   
1. South-East Asia
   
3. Area:
1. 707.1 square kilometres
2. http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/keyind.html
4. Terrain (topography):
   
1. Mainly flat
5. Infrastructure:
1. Internal - expressways, trains, buses, taxis, cars
2. External - airport, port, train
   
6. Capital city:
1. No capital city, most facilities associated with a capital city located in the Central Business District (CBD)
   
7. Other major cities:
1. Regional towns: Woodlands, Tampines, Jurong
   
8. Climate:
   
1. Characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall
2. http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=1088
9. Water resources:
1. Malaysia
   
2. catchment areas
3. NEWater
4. desalination
   
10. Ethnic groups:
    
1. Chinese
2. Malay
3. Indian
4. Other
11. Languages:
1. English
2. Chinese
3. Malay
4. Tamil
   
12. Religions:
1. Buddhism
2. Taoism
3. Islam
4. Hinduism
5. Christianity

A systematic approach to tackling human rights violations

With so many human rights issues , how does one decide which one to tackle first?

NGOs often blame governments for not tackling issues systematically, but what about the NGOs themselves?

There are several "systems" to consider.

• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) country framework
• Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International (HURIDOCS) OpenEvsys system
• Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process

I used inverted commas for systems, because the 3 above are very different animals.

• The OHCHR country framework is useful as a FAQ into the background of a country
• The HURIDOCS system is a database used to document human rights violations
• The UPR is a new UN process where each country's human rights record is reviewed periodically (Singapore is due for reporting in 2011)

I think I'll start with the OHCHR country framework. Actually, I have to admit that I first came across this document in 2006. The project has stayed dormant. I hope to kickstart the process again...

U60 - 60 years of human rights

U60
The UDHR is 60 years old next month. Do attend any of the U60 events to commemorate this historic occasion, and reflect on human rights in Singapore.

OpenEvsys

HURIDOCS Portal
This is a (in-progress) project worth keeping track of. Basically, it's a web-based system for managing information about human rights violations. For too long, NGOs have been rallying for change using catchy phrases, big numbers, etc. It's imperative that an evidence-based approach is adopted. We shouldn't be having a campaign just because the international community is having one. We need to ask if the same human rights violation is happening in Singapore.

p.s. Looks like it's time for me to pull up my socks and finish up my long dormant project of putting the UN Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring into practice.

My 18 hours under the Internal Security Act

My Sinchew
sgwatchDOG is concerned about the events happening in Malaysia. It's comforting to see the reporter (who was detained under the ISA) write again, but 2 more persons remain detained. sgwatchDOG also finds the reason given for detaining the Sin Chew reporter to be disturbing.

Syed Hamid said Tan's detention under the ISA was part of the police's swift action to ensure her safety after she received threatening calls.

Click here for the full article on the reporter's release and the reasons given for her detention.

International Day of Democracy, 15 September 2008

United Nations
It's a bit strange to see that a day was not set aside to commemorate democracy, especially since days are set aside for so many different causes.

Until now, that is. The United Nations (UN) will be having a International Day of Democracy on 15th September 2008.

3 new public consultations

Spotted 3 new public consultations today

• MOM - Employment Act
• CCS - Leniency Programme
• URA - Survey on restaurants, food shops and pubs
  in non-HDB private shophouses near residential estates

Same old, same old

The Star, Malaysia
A strongly worded commentary piece from a Malaysian newspaper. sgwatchDOG agrees with one of the points made in the article.

Ultimately it has to come from within.

CAD investigates LePrime School of Technical and Fundamental

CAD FAQ page
sgwatchDOG just spotted this FAQ page on the CAD website. CAD does not clarify what it is investigating LePrime for, but the following from the LePrime website provides a few hints

LePrime primary business direction is conducting courses on the understanding of financial tools and the use of them. In addition to our primary business, LePrime also provides consultancy services with regards to specific financial / economic markets.

It is possible that CAD is investigating for inproper practice regarding financial/investment products. Buyer Beware...

Woman pays $2,600 for 'upgraded' PSP

The New Paper
Another sad story of a consumer being cheated. sgwatchDOG sometimes wonder if these incidents can ever be prevented. Do consumers need to "get bitten" before they wise up?

Anyway, in this case, sgwatchDOG believes the consumer can still pursue this dispute via the Small Claims Tribunals, citing the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. In particular, the consumer can mention that she is a victim of an unfair practice, specifically the following (No. 1 of 20 specific unfair practices)

1. Representing that goods or services have sponsorship, approval, performance characteristics, accessories, ingredients, components, qualities, uses or benefits that they do not have.

8. Charging a price for goods or services that is substantially higher than an estimate provided to the consumer, except where the consumer has expressly agreed to the higher price in advance.

More than meets the eyes

3 newspapers, the same headline, 3 different versions.

This was what sgwatchDOG recently discovered. A recent piece of news from Agence France-Presse (AFP) mentioned that the proposed ASEAN human rights body would use peer pressure, instead of sanctions. Disappointing, but expected at this stage of things.

But what made sgwatchDOG more worried was the 3 versions of this report found online. A Dow Jones version had this at the end of the article.

ASEAN has a long-standing policy of noninterference. Civic groups have criticized the bloc for not taking a tougher stand on rights violations among its members, particularly Myanmar.

Strongly worded. And also strangely missing from other versions. Perhaps an added comment from Dow Jones.

TODAY was even more "exciting", providing 2 versions. The PDF version (the version that looks like the printed paper) had this portion

Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are pressing to water down the terms of reference to ensure the human rights body is largely an advisory panel. Brunei has not stated its position, the official said.

but this portion below was missing

Under the charter, a human rights body would be established in a region that includes countries with poor human rights records, such as military-run Myanmar, which is subject to international sanctions.

The text version of the same article on TODAY's website was even more "watered down" (to borrow the phrase). The paragraph on "pressing to water down" (see quoted paragraph above) that appeared in the PDF version suddenly disappeared...

By now, you must be confused. Which is the original version? Your guess is as good as sgwatchDOG's, but the version found here could be close to the original...

Lessons learned? When you see a reprint of a news agency article (e.g. AP, AFP, Reuters, etc), don't assume that it is a full reprint. There's more than meets the eye.

p.s. Google the headline [ASEAN human rights body to rely on ‘peer pressure’] to see the different versions (there are a few more versions that sgwatchDOG didn't mention) in cyberspace.

Not all in West call for liberal ideals out of jealousy

ST Forum
A good forum letter about the ongoing debate on human rights. See the discussion board thread for a continuation of the exchange of views.

29th July 2008
Not all in West call for liberal ideals out of jealousy

AS A politics and international relations undergraduate attending university in Britain, I have followed the recent furore over perceived 'Singapore-bashing' comments in the local press with great interest. I would like to think my views do not stem from just one side of the divide. I grew up in Singapore, and attended local schools. These days, I attend lectures by 'Western liberals', and discuss politics with young people of similar leaning. This, thus far, has been my exposure to the ideals of human rights and free speech, among other principles which have received fairly short shrift by sections of the Singapore public and academia.

At my university, there is a campaign or protest on the steps of the Student Union at any one time - against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, against xenophobia in Britain, against the atrocities in Darfur... These campaigns are not public nuisances, and they are never regarded as such. To my mind, they are the product of passion and intellectual discussion, and their utility lies in the debate they spark, on issues which are often controversial.

Note that these campaigns - often centred on, and calling for human rights, or at least the broader concept of human security - are not propagated by the government. More often than not, these students target government policies, calling for change, and encouraging civil society, in turn, to urge action in Parliament. This is the value of constructive dissent, in itself possible because of freedom of speech - within limits - and the right to protest.

My point is this: Not all in the West call for liberal ideals because they are 'jealous'. Singaporeans writing in and to the local press have asserted that the West must understand that Singapore's principles are fundamentally different, that here the focus is on pragmatism, on meeting material needs, and on stability. I feel it is also important to recognise that the Western intellectual tradition is perhaps more philosophically oriented, and certainly more vocal.

I find most disturbing the accusations that all criticism aimed at the Government must be from ignorant, jealous outsiders. Perhaps this stems from the perception that all radical dissenters in the local political landscape are lunatics. To begin, I am currently working with local women's non-governmental organisation AWARE, and it offers constructive criticism of government policies relating to sex and gender in its 2007 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Shadow Report. Former and current AWARE presidents have risen to the fore to argue for local and migrant women's rights, if not for the recognition of universal human rights. Surely they are not ignorant or jealous - but attempting to spark debate, and eventually reform?

The worst possible approach Singapore could take at the moment is to go on the defensive and adopt the same moral high-handedness it believes the West is levelling at it. Of course the West is no vanguard of human civilisation; it is ridiculous to assume academics in the West are oblivious to that fact. None of my professors will hold, I am sure, that the United States or Britain presents a 'perfect' democracy. But nor does Singapore. It is time to stop pointing fingers back across the water, and start exchanging ideas on what we can learn from each other.

Dell Marie Butler (Ms)

Proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act

As mentioned earlier, the 1st reading of the amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act a.k.a. CPFTA proceeded on 21st July 2008. sgwatchDOG notes that the PDF is up on the Parliament "Bills Introduced" portion of its website.

sgwatchDOG hasn't finished sieving through the entire Bill, but notes that further (major) changes have been made compared to the draft shown during public consultation. One of the examples below.

Expansion of jurisdiction of Small Claims Tribunals (SCT)
sgwatchDOG presumes that the powers that be have discovered that part of the problem faced by consumers, was not the CPFTA, but the SCT Act. Rightly so.

For example, timeshare contracts finally come under SCT's jurisdiction. Previously, they were explicitly excluded.

Also, SCT previously regarded all disputes the same way, with no distinction between business-to-business disputes, and consumer-to-business disputes. This has now been changed in the bill tabled. In a way, this will mean that SCT has to take the "vulnerability" of a typical consumer into consideration, and protect them more. Malaysia has done it by having 2 separate tribunals, a SCT, and a Consumer Claims Tribunals.

Another amendment also enables disputes with money-changers to come under SCT jurisdiction.

p.s. the easy way to analyse an amendment bill is to look at the last few pages, i.e. the so-called "Explanatory Statement" to help guide the reader.

Has rule by law killed the rule of law in Malaysia?

NUS: Faculty of Law - Seminar
sgwatchDOG just attended this seminar by Dr Ratna Rueban Balasubramaniam. sgwatchDOG can't really yet comment on the paper presented (need to finish reading it first), but initial thoughts lay with the proposition that law should be moral. sgwatchDOG sensed this proposition too while attending the recent human rights law lectures by Prof Thio Li-Ann.

ASEAN must move on Human Rights

Bangkok Post | Sunday Perspective |
A commentary piece on the proposed ASEAN human rights body.

The effects of the fuel and food crisis in Cambodia

Alex Renton reports | Environment | The Observer
A window into the situation in rural Cambodia. sgwatchDOG suspects that other rural communities in ASEAN are facing the same problems. There are no obvious (or easy) solutions to the issues at hand.

The universality of human rights

The ongoing debate on human rights has seen quite a few comments framing the concept of human rights as a Western idea, and that it has to be modified for the Singapore context.

This, of course, is not a new phenomenon. But because it is a fallacy, it should be addressed everytime it pops up.

sgwatchDOG is not exactly a historian, and so has to rely on the relatively recent (about 60 years old) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and not some ancient civilisation that embraced human rights.

This UN document was not drafted solely by westerners. The photo above shows some of the people involved in the drafting committee. In any case, the draft still had to be approved by the countries in the UN. See here for more photos.

The list below show the people (and countries) involved with the drafting and discussion of the UDHR. Info from here.

John Peters Humphrey (from Canada) was then the Director of the UN Division on Human Rights, and was responsible for the research of past statements and wrote the initial draft.

Members of the full 18-member United Nations Human Rights Commission, 1946-1948*

Australia - Colonel William Roy Hodgson
Belgium - Fernand Dehousse
Byelorussia - Afanasi Stepanenko
Chile - Hernán Santa Cruz
China - Chang Peng-chun (usually referred to as P.C. Chang)
Egypt - Omar Loufti
France - René Cassin
India - Hansa Mehta
Iran - A.G. Pourevaly
Lebanon - Charles Malik
Panama - M. Amado
Philippines - General Carlos Romulo, Benigno Aquino
Ukraine - Michael Klekovkin
USSR - Valentin Tepliakov, Vladimir Koretsky, Alexander Bogomolov, Alexei P. Pavlov
UK - Charles Dukes (Lord Dukeston), Geoffrey Wilson
United States - Eleanor Roosevelt
Uruguay - J.J.C. Victorica
Yugoslavia - Vladislav Ribnikar

*Note: Representatives changed over this two-year period and delegates for each country are listed in the order in which they served. Also, other delegates sometimes sat in for the main delegate and made contributions to the drafting process.

So one can clearly see that the drafting and subsequent debate on the draft document was not limited to westerners only.

Different cultures got their say in how the document should look like. And after distilling to the basics, the UDHR was born.

What if we don't use history to explain that human rights is not just a western idea? No problem.

Let's take consumer rights for example. A consumer (no matter western or not) will feel that his or her consumer rights are violated if they get cheated into buying a defective product. But consumer rights are human rights.

There is often a misconception that human rights is something airy-fairy, something foreign. Tell that to the heartlander auntie who just got fleeced of her hard-earned money buying a useless product. Not so western a concept after all now right?

Even if you use the example of freedom of expression, you can show that human rights is not merely a western, or alien idea. Think of any issue which you are an affected party. E.g. An increase of concession card stamp charges affects you as a student that uses it. Wouldn't you want the right for your views to be heard? Isn't that also the concept of freedom of expression?

Order Paper for next Parliament sitting published

Order Paper
The agenda (called the "Order Paper") for the next session (a.k.a. sitting) of Parliament has been released. Some interesting stuff (to sgwatchdog anyway) to note.

Bill to amend Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act finally appears
The long awaited amendments are finally been tabled for the 1st reading. The draft Bill which was circulated for public consultation showed quite a few major changes to the original Act, which first took effect on 1st March 2004. It will be interesting to watch if there are changes made to the Bill after the public consultation.

Motion for discussion on "Security Lapses and Public Confidence"
Dr Teo Ho Pin has proposed a motion to discuss the above issue. Cue the relevant Minister to step up and possibly say the usual "yes, we will tighten our ship, but the public have a role to play too" speech again...

By the way, see here for an explanation on how a typical Parliament sitting proceeds.

How can aid agencies tackle corruption?

Reuters AlertNet
Maybe Ren Ci can learn something from this article... The article stems from a Transparency International report. Something simple below to remember from the article.

Transparency International's definition of corruption is simple - it's "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain"

Small Claims Tribunals still unable to protect the public's interest

小额赔偿法庭仍照顾不了公众利益
This Zaobao forum letter highlights the current loopholes existing in the legal system. Members of public who are cheated by companies often seek compensation via the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT). However, these cases often result in so-called "paper judgements", where the case is won, but no compensation is obtained, as the company has closed down. The other scenario presented, is the situation where a dispute is not allowed to be heard at SCT as the amount being claimed is more than the prescribed limit (normally S$10,000, up to S$20,000 with mutual consent). This means that the dispute will have to go through normal Court proceedings, which will then involve lawyers, and high legal fees. Consequently, disputes are dropped as people have insufficient money to fight a law suit.

UPDATE: 19th July 2008 - A quick check via the Zaobao forum pages (here and here) seems to show that SCT has yet to respond...

Unjust and unnecessary

The Star, Malaysia

A commentary piece on the human rights situation of Muslim women in Malaysia.

We increasingly trade freedom for wealth or security

Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

The model for this is Singapore, where repression is highly selective. It is confined to those who take a conscious decision openly to challenge the authorities. If you do not, you enjoy freedom to travel, to live more or less as you wish, and – perhaps most important – to make money.

Wonder if the government will respond to the above article, like it did for this WSJ article.

[Update: 7th July 2008] TODAY has reproduced the above commentary piece, in my opinion, as if to "challenge" the Singapore government to respond to it. Kudos to them.

[Update: 10th July 2008] The Prime Minister's Office has responded to the article.

CI statement on the food crisis

Consumers International (CI)
CI has released a statement proposing how various governments can alleviate the ongoing food crisis, with the following points being made

• provide food aid in the short term
• clamp down on speculation
• support food production in developing countries
• ascertain impact of bio-fuels on food supply
• adapt to climate change
  

宜家回收 BARNSLIG婴儿睡袋

IKEA
A baby sleeping bag has been recalled by IKEA. The product recall webpage (in English) is here.

International Humanitarian Law - Treaties & Documents

ICRC
Besides the UN conventions, Singapore is also a signatory to various other international instruments. Details of what Singapore has signed regarding the Geneva Conventions (and related instruments) can be found in the above link.

Unequal before the law

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Interesting to read this new development at the end of the above UN news article

...there is strong support for a new mechanism to ensure that States are fulfilling their commitments on women’s rights. Discussions are now underway to decide if a special rapporteur, an independent expert, a working group or some other mechanism would be best suited to the task.

Current UN human rights mechanisms on women include a CEDAW committee, an Optional Protocol, and a Special Rapporteur on violence against women.

Trafficking in Persons Report 2008

US State Department
This recently released report listed Singapore in "Tier 2". How is this grading done? From the report,

The Department places each country included on the 2008 TIP Report into one of the three lists, described here as tiers, mandated by the TVPA. This placement is based more on the extent of government action to combat trafficking, rather than the size of the problem, important though that is. The Department first evaluates whether the government fully complies with the TVPA’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking (detailed on p. 284). Governments that fully comply are placed in Tier 1. For other governments, the Department considers whether they are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance. governments that are making significant efforts to meet the minimum standards are placed in Tier 2. Governments that do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so are placed in Tier 3. Finally, the Special Watch List criteria are considered and, when applicable, Tier 2 countries are placed on the Tier 2 Watch List.

The entry referring to Singapore is reproduced below.

SINGAPORE (Tier 2)
Singapore is a destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Some women from India, Thailand, the Philippines, and the People’s Republic of China who travel to Singapore voluntarily for prostitution or work are subsequently deceived or coerced into sexual servitude. A significant number of foreign domestic workers in Singapore faces the unlawful confiscation of their travel documents, restrictions on their movement, confinement, and/or physical or sexual abuse. Some Singaporean men travel to countries in the region for child sex tourism.

The Government of Singapore does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. In February, 2008 the government enacted amendments to the Penal Code that criminalize prostitution involving a minor under the age of 18, thereby ensuring that Singaporean law criminalizes all severe forms of trafficking in persons. The police adopted new training programs and procedures to familiarize officers with the new Penal Code offenses and to provide them with the skills to identify potential trafficking victims. Notably, the recent Penal Code amendments also extend extra-territorial jurisdiction over Singaporean citizens and permanent residents who sexually exploit children in other countries, and make organizing or promoting child sex tourism a criminal offense. At the same time, however, the government did not prosecute or convict any trafficking offenders during the reporting period, and did not take adequate measures to protect victims of trafficking, particularly foreign domestic workers subjected to forced labor conditions.

Recommendations for Singapore: Vigorously investigate and prosecute both labor and sex trafficking cases, and ensure that trafficking offenders are convicted and receive appropriate criminal punishments ; increase efforts to proactively identify victims of trafficking among vulnerable groups such as foreign women and children arrested for prostitution; institute procedures to ensure that victims are not arrested, incarcerated or otherwise punished for acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked; and conduct public awareness campaigns to inform citizens and residents of the amendments to the Penal Code and penalties for involvement in trafficking for sexual exploitation or labor.

Prosecution
The Government of Singapore demonstrated some law enforcement efforts to combat trafficking in persons during the reporting year. Singapore expanded its anti-trafficking legal framework with the February 1, 2008 entry into force of the Penal Code (Amendment) Act of 2007 to criminalize all forms of trafficking, including the commercial sexual exploitation of sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds. Labor trafficking is prohibited through multiple sections of the Penal Code, the Employment Agency Rules, and the Employment of Foreign Workers Act. Penalties prescribed for sex trafficking, including imprisonment, fines, and caning, are sufficiently stringent, as are penalties prescribed for labor trafficking. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) received and investigated 28 reports of human trafficking during the reporting period; one case remains under investigation, while the others were closed due to lack of substantiating evidence. There were no reported criminal prosecutions or convictions for labor or sex trafficking offenses during the reporting period. In 2007 the authorities arrested 130 pimps and “vice abettors” (e.g., brothel operators). Fifteen pimps and thirty vice abettors were prosecuted; however, it is unclear how many, if any, of these cases involved trafficking. There were no reports of government officials’ complicity in trafficking crimes during the reporting period.

Protection
The government did not show appreciable progress in protecting trafficking victims, particularly foreign domestic workers subjected to forced labor conditions, over the reporting period. The government does not operate victim shelters, but instead referred potential victims of trafficking to NGO shelters or foreign embassies over the reporting period. In 2007, one NGO reported offering protection to over 900 foreign workers who ran away from their employers in Singapore after complaining of abusive conditions; the NGO estimates that as many as 70 percent of such workers has cited conditions that may potentially meet the definition of trafficking in persons. The Philippines Embassy separately reported receiving complaints from as many as 212 of its nationals that raise concerns about trafficking; however, only three of its nationals elected to file criminal complaints with Singaporean authorities. Law enforcement efforts aimed at curbing prostitution likely resulted in victims of sex trafficking being penalized for acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. In 2007, the police arrested 5,402 foreign women for prostitution, who were generally incarcerated then deported. The number of trafficking victims among this group is unknown; however, government measures to proactively identify potential trafficking victims among this vulnerable population, if any, appear to have been limited during the majority of the reporting period. At least 60 of those reportedly arrested and deported without being formally identified and provided with appropriate protective services were minors. The government encourages identified victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking offenders, and makes available to all foreign victims of crime temporary immigration relief that allows them to reside in Singapore pending conclusion of their criminal case. Singapore does not otherwise provide trafficking victims with a legal alternative to removal to countries where they may face hardship or retribution.

Prevention
The Singaporean government demonstrated some increased efforts to prevent trafficking in persons during the year. The Government expanded its information campaign that aims to raise awareness among foreign workers of their rights and resources available, in an effort to prevent incidents of trafficking. It prints information on employees’ rights and police hotline numbers for domestics on prepaid phone cards. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has a bi-annual newsletter, published in multiple languages, that it mails directly to all 170,000 foreign domestic workers. All foreign domestic workers working in Singapore for the first time attend a compulsory course on domestic safety and their employment rights and responsibilities. The government undertook some administrative actions for violations of labor laws potentially related to trafficking, including employer fines and license suspensions for several employment agencies. In August 2007 one employer was sentenced to one year in jail for physically abusing her maid. The government did not undertake specific measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts involving adults in the legalized commercial sex industry in Singapore. As noted above, however, the government took measures to curb participation by its nationals and others in child sex tourism by establishing extra-territorial jurisdiction over Singaporean citizens and permanent residents who sexually exploit children in other countries, and criminalizing organization or promotion of child sex tourism activities. Singapore has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

Country Report on Human Rights Practices

Singapore
The US State Department report on human rights.

Kid Tested ... and Approved

washingtonpost.com
Great to see that kids are having a say on the food at school, democracy at the grassroots level...

Women Rise in Rwanda's Economic Revival

washingtonpost.com
Gender equality that flourishes due to conditions stemming from a tragedy, it's strange how the world sometimes works.

CASE statistics on consumer complaints

sgwatchDOG just received a copy of the annual report of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). A quick perusal of the statistics shows the following

As expected, Timeshare is still the Number 1 complaint.

In related news, CASE "won" a court case against a timeshare resale company.

Straits Times
June 10, 2008
Case wins suit against errant timeshare firm
By Lim Wei Chean
SINGAPORE'S consumer watchdog has won a lawsuit against a local timeshare company that tricked and pressured customers into selling off their vacation digs.

But the victory against firm Global Europ might not be great news for dozens of clients who say they were swindled.

The six-year-old Singaporean company, which helps customers terminate their timeshare contracts, is winding up its timeshare business. The division was the subject of 52 complaints to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

The watchdog slapped Global Europ with a lawsuit under the Consumer Protection Act last September after customers said the firm lied and pressured them into selling, said Case's executive director Seah Seng Choon.

The company threw in the towel on May 14 and reached a consent judgment with CASE, admitting to unfair business practices and promising to desist and pay legal costs.

It also took out a notice in The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao yesterday to advertise the settlement.

Mr Seah said that consumers will still have to file a lawsuit against Global Europ to recover their money. But they will benefit from Global Europ's admission of guilt, he added.

At the time of the lawsuit, CASE said total claims against Global Europ were $155,478.80.

Despite the time required to take errant companies to task, Mr Seah said: 'The effort is still worth it because it will stop them from engaging in more unfair practices.'

It will also send a signal to the industry that the consumer watchdog will not sit by and do nothing. This is the second time CASE has brought a timeshare resale company to court - and won.

The first was Orion's Belt Network, in October 2006.

Global Europ could not be reached for comment, but The Straits Times understands that it is in the process of winding up its timeshare resale business. The company may retain the name for other business.

Timeshare and timeshare-related complaints remain at the top of CASE's list of top consumer problems. Last year, 2,093 complaints were filed with CASE.

Gender equality at the heart of decent work, Campaign 2008-2009

International Labour Organization (ILO)
We often hear people asking the question, Are human rights relevant to me? It's natural to ask such questions, and while the relevance of human rights may not be in doubt in the eyes of human rights practitioners, it may not be so clear cut to the lay person.

Thus, every opportunity should be made to showcase the relevance of human rights to everyone.

The above campaign by the ILO could be one example. For example, pushing for equal pay (the right to equal remuneration) ensures you get paid properly, which is especially relevant in the current trend of increasing prices...

Defamation

Is it a sign when a Google search for the word "defamation" shows the Singapore Defamation Act as its 2nd search result (1st search result is a Wikipedia entry on Defamation)?

Anyway, below, plus another entry under the Penal Code. Now, the next step is to go through them...

Defamation Act
Defamation

Talk and forum on the ASEAN human rights mechanism

MARUAH
A talk by Prof. Dr. Vitit Muntarbhorn of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. 4pm on 11th June 2008 at ASEF.

How many UN Conventions has Singapore ratified?

Following up from an earlier post, a quick search shows that Singapore has only ratified 2 out of the 7 major UN conventions. (Note: 2 more new conventions are coming online)

The 2 conventions that are ratified

• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
• Convention on the Rights of the Child

Also of note is that the optional protocols to both conventions above have not been ratified.

The ones which our Singapore government has yet to ratify

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and its optional protocols
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)
• Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its optional protocol
  
• International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990)

Does your password pass the test?

Official Google Blog
sgwatchDOG recently had a suspected bout of email hijacking, so the advice rendered above is especially relevant. Don't wait for your stuff to be compromised, stay ahead of the curve by changing passwords regularly.

Paris Principles

Fact Sheet No.19, National Institutions
I learned something new today again. See above link for guidelines for NHRIs.

IDA enforcement actions on Sybase and Funmobile

IDA Singapore - Policies & Regulation - Determinations and Enforcement
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has taken action against 2 companies providing Premium Rate Services (a.k.a. handphone ringtone, game, icon downloads, etc). Click on the 2008 link to see the 2 new cases for April 2008.

OFT investigates 100 household brands over price-fixing allegations - Telegraph

Telegraph
This action by the OFT shows the advantages of having a fair trading office...

Chinese consumers know their rights

TODAYonline
What about you, the Singaporean?

BBC Action Network set to close on 30th April 2008

BBC - Action Network
BBC is pulling the plug. They have a comprehensive "How to get started" page on campaigning. Time to quickly skim through that resource and start saving them offline...

Toolkit on World Health Day 2008

It seems today is World Health Day. Anyway, sgwatchDOG is quite impressed with the toolkit page for the event. Useful info and ideas for NGOs campaigning for a cause, and not just relating to health, as the tips can be applied to any cause.

Enforcement action by MAS

Just spotted this on the MAS "Enforcement Actions" page (which is a link on the blog sidebar), which highlights that

Inter-Alliance International (Singapore) Pte Ltd (“IAIS”), a licensed financial adviser until 18 February 2008, has paid a composition amount of $50,000 for contravention of section 13(1) of the Financial Advisers Act (“FAA”). IAIS has also paid a composition amount of $6,250 for contraventions under the Insurance (Intermediaries) Regulations (“IIR”).

Not sure if this has been reported in the local media...

Film disallowed for SIFF 2008

The documentary, "Arabs And Terrorism", has been disallowed to be screened at the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF). The following from the SIFF homepage.

3 April 2008
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Please note that the following film has been disallowed and will not be screened:

Title: Arabs And Terrorism
Date: 5 April 2008
Time: 11am
Venue: The Substation

It will be replaced with a screening of Amina(PG).

Ticket holders of Arabs And Terrorism can use their tickets for the replacement screening, or get a refund at the Festival Secretariat by 14th April 2008.

The synopsis of the film is below

Arabs and Terrorism
Bassam Haddad | USA | 2007 | 135 mins | TBA

Researched in six different languages, 11 countries, 120 experts and politicians as well as hundreds of street interviews, this fast-paced documentary is determined to unearth what is said about Arabs and Terrorism. Tired of empty rhetoric about the fight against terrorism from Washington, D.C. neo-conservatives (and curious of many assertions made by the Bush administration), Arab-American filmmaker Bassam Haddad decided to seek the truth for himself, camera-in-hand, and thus sparks an impassioned dialogue between right-wing American policymakers and Middle Eastern political factions.

Haddad's method of documentary involves having interviews with political power-players on each side of the transcontinental (and trans-ideological) fence - American and Arab; recording each interview on his laptop; and having each interviewee view and respond to allegations made by the other side. The result is a documentary that dares to journey into waters seldom treaded by other filmmakers, by travelling right to the core of the ideological debate that lies behind the war on terror and investigating what the Arab people actually think, believe and desire -- independent of media bias.

Intro to international human rights law

United Nations
The webpage above gives a good rundown of all the international instruments relating to human rights.

A quick discovery while checking out the links. It seems that Singapore, a multi-racial society that prides itself on equality among races, is not a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

sgwatchDOG will follow up by detailing what international human rights instruments Singapore has signed, and what it hasn't.

Women and an ASEAN Human Rights Body

Maruah:SINGAPORE WORKING COMMITTEE FOR THE ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISM
A forum on 29th March 2008, organised by MARUAH. Hope to see you there.

HDB introduces Resale Checklists for Housing Agents

HDB InfoWEB : Press Release

Good move by HDB to curb the tactics of some of the "black sheep" in the estate agent business. Hopefully, buyers and sellers will have less worries after this scheme kicks in.

Google for Non-Profits

Google for Non-Profits
sgwatchDOG already uses many Google tools to disseminate info. Google recently set up a website dedicated to non-profit organisations.

Beware of Scams

Consumer Portal: MoneySENSE Alert
Scams just don't seem to go away. The latest scams are getting more and more sophisticated.

Getting our priorities right

Ethical Living - Guardian Unlimited
With the current fad for everything "green", it's very easy to start to do stuff that is easy to do, yet "green" in ideal. However, should that be the way? It seems we are choosing the easy bits and forgetting the more important (but often more difficult) issues...

New company added to MoneySENSE Investor Alert List

Apollo International Wealth Management Co. Ltd has just been added to the MoneySENSE Investor Alert List.

Consumer Reports' Secret Shoppers Have Lots of Explaining to Do

Wired Magazine
A quirky report on mystery shoppers and testers working for Consumer Reports.

The other casualty of the Great Escape: mainstream media credibility

journalism.sg
A good analytical article from Cherian George revealing the failure of the mainstream media to ask the right questions regarding the escape of the JI detainee.

Acceptance of ichqs put on hold

ichqs.com - Home
sgwatchDOG remembers that the ichqs programme had some problems a few years ago also. Anyway, the public notice by ichqs contained an interesting portion

Due to the termination of our telesales team, a few disgruntled ex-employees may have contacted you via sms. We apologize for the inconveniences caused.

sgwatchDOG wonders if the recently released MAS tips on stored value facilities has anything to do with ichqs being put on hold.

MAS seeks comments on Guidelines on Board and Senior Management Responsibility for Delivering Fair Dealing Outcomes to Consumers

MAS

Whistle-blower site taken offline

BBC NEWS | Technology |

Efusion's Charging for Incorrect Subscription Keywords

IDA Singapore - Policies & Regulation - Determinations and Enforcement
1st case for 2008 has just been published. Click on the above link, and then click on the "2008" link to see it.

Toy safety

CHOICE - Toy safety
Although this is a Australian article, the toy checklist is still very useful for parents in Singapore.

Toy safety checklist

Here are some general rules to help you when choosing a toy.

Look for a label, or instructions on the packaging, which should tell you:

* Age recommendations
* Instructions for proper assembly (if appropriate)
* Proper use and supervision (if appropriate).

Note: always remove and carefully dispose of all packaging before giving a toy to a baby or small child. And where appropriate, make sure your child understands any important instructions.

"Not suitable for children under three"

This is a safety warning, not an indication of skill level or intelligence. For example, it's illegal for toys (and their parts) suitable for children under three to be so small that they can present a choking hazard. As a guide, if a toy or its parts can fit wholly into a 35 mm film canister, don't give it to a child under three years of age.

* Make sure the toy and any of its parts are sufficiently large
* Check toys regularly for loose parts that could present a choking danger

Note: ingestion/inhalation test cylinders are available in baby specialty stores.

Buy washable, non-breakable toys for babies. Make sure there are no:

* Sharp edges
* Sharp points
* Rough surfaces
* Small parts that could be bitten or could break off.

If a sharp edge or a sharp point is essential to the function of the toy — for a toy sewing machine or toy scissors for example — make sure you show your child how to use it safely and always supervise.

Check there are no gaps or holes in a toy, where a child could trap their fingers.

Be wary of toys that make loud noises particularly toys that are held against the ear, such as walkie talkies and toy mobile phones — as they can be harmful to hearing.

Toy chests and boxes should be designed not to trap or close on top of children, or better still they should have a lightweight removable lid. Anything big enough to crawl inside must have ventilation holes. Also, make sure the lid is fitted with rubber or other stoppers that alllow a gap of 12 mm or more when the lid is closed so that small fingers can't be crushed and to assist with ventilation.

If you're buying a toy that shoots projectiles, only choose ones that have a soft, one-piece dart or non removable suction caps. The projectile musn't be small enough to pose a choking hazard. Also, make sure that the firing mechanism won't discharge any other objects, like stones or nails, and that the projectile's impact is weak enough not to cause injury.

Check for ventilation before buying tents, masks or helmets.

Ensure that ride-on toys are stable and appropriate to the age of the child. Toy bikes should have effective brakes which can be applied by the rider.

Swimming aids and flotation devices shouldn't be considered 'toys'. Adult supervision is essential with these devices. Check that they're marked to comply with the Australian Standard, and follow the instructions carefully.

Think about whether the toy fits your child's developmental needs. Toys meant for older children can be totally inappropriate or even dangerous for younger children.

Note: the information provided in this guide is advisory only.

OFT publishes credit card comparisons report

The Office of Fair Trading
Main findings are below

• the introduction of an independent credit card price comparison website run by the FSA
• improvement to how information is presented in credit card issuers' summary boxes
• standardisation of terminology used by credit card issuers in their product literature, and
• improvements to consumer education about the benefits of shopping around for a credit card.

OFT exposes scammers 'tricks of the trade'

The Office of Fair Trading
Summary of "tricks" below...

1. Offering you the unattainable dream - scammers hook you by promising to fulfil your dreams and aspirations. You are told that you alone have been chosen because you are special, but in fact the same scam has been sent to thousands of other people.
2. Using official sounding names and job titles or referring to important sounding organisations to give a false impression that the scam comes from someone in a position of high authority who can be instantly trusted. This works by overcoming the initial gut feeling that something is not quite right.
3. Using fake deadlines to create a sense of urgency and a fear of missing out. You are told that if you don't reply immediately the opportunity will be gone forever, triggering an impulse to respond before you have the chance to think the offer through properly.
4. Using fake testimonials from satisfied customers to reinforce the impression that the scam offer is genuine - this exploits people's normal tendency to follow the crowd and helps to validate what is being offered.
5. Offering worthless 'money back guarantees' to convince you that you are dealing with a legitimate trader and that there is no risk in sending off your money.