Symposium discusses human trafficking in Asia

12 September 2012

Citing recent incidences, Professor Tommy Koh, Rector of Tembusu College at NUS, said that Singapore is both a transit and destination country for human trafficking. Prof Koh, who is also Chairman of the NUS Centre for International Law, shared that the government has established the Singapore Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons using a 4 Ps strategy, namely Prevention, Prosecution, Protection and Partnership. He was delivering his opening address at a symposium titled "Human Trafficking - Be Informed, Be the Change" at NUS University Town (UTown) on 7 September.

The first-of-its-kind event was organised by the Chua Tian Poh Community Leadership Programme, NUS' University Scholars Programme and Tembusu College, together with EmancipAsia which is a local non-governmental organisation that aims to raise awareness on human trafficking in Singapore.

Various local and international activists to the cause shared about their on-the-ground experience. These included Mr Benjamin Skinner, an award-winning author and journalist who wrote the book A crime so monstrous: face to face with modern-day slavery; Ms Bridget Tan, Executive Director of Humanitarian Organisation for Migrant Economics (HOME); and Ms LanVy Nguyen, Founder and Creative Director of Fashion4Freedom in Vietnam.

Prof Koh urged the students and members of the public in the audience to join the global coalition to fight human trafficking. Locally, people can play their part by volunteering at EmancipAsia or HOME.

In addition to the symposium, weekly film screenings and a photography exhibition are being held at UTown to educate NUS students and staff members about human trafficking. The last film screening will be on 20 September.