Ms Surayah Akbar spoke up against human trafficking and called on the Government to do more to tackle the on-going in Singapore. Ms Suraya, a leading member of the SDP’s women wing, delivered an impassioned speech at the Slutwalk event held at Hong Lim Park on Sunday.
Organisers of the event had invited the Women Democrats to speak at the event which was held to speak out against violence against women.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), 1.2 million children are trafficked every year for sexual exploitation.
Ms Suraya told the several hundred strong crowd about a case in which an HIV-infected mother who worked as a prostitute, sold her 4 year-old daughter as she could no longer provide her services to the trade. The minor was rescued, unfortunately, only after being raped by 3 men.
Ms Suraya, a mother of three young children herself, said:
“As a parent myself, the relationship between a mother and her child is as good as truth. A mother means the world to a child, and by nature, protects, nourishes and bestows her child with love and care. My love for my children knows no boundaries.”
The tragedy that befalls women and their children in the world of sex trafficking is horrendous. In this modern age, women are still duped into working in proper jobs in other countries, Singapore included. They are forced to work in brothels after arriving in the country. Although Singapore has ratified the UN’s Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), forced prostitution is still a significant problem here.
The Singapore Democrats stand firmly against human trafficking of any kind. The US State Department released its Trafficking in Persons Report 2011 in June. It said that Singapore is a “destination country for men, women and girls subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour”. Despite the Singapore Government’s
outcry, the US Government stood by its
report.
The SDP urges the Singapore Government to take a firmer and more explicit stand on this problem, and to increase resources to eradicate the problem.