PROTECTION
The government continued limited efforts to protect victims, but victim identification was sometimes ineffective and services were provided only on a case-by-case basis. Police and labor officials had standard operating procedures for identifying victims, and the government had a victim referral process among government officials, civil society organizations, and foreign embassies. The total number of victims identified in 2014 is unknown, but the government officially recognized 31 sex trafficking victims and two labor trafficking victims.Two sex trafficking victims were male and 24 were children; the ages and genders of remaining victims were unknown. The government and civil society organizations often disagreed as to whether specific cases amounted to trafficking; an NGO observed inconsistencies in the government’s application of the definition of trafficking when determining whether to “accept” or “reject” a referral. Reports suggested authorities did not recognize elements of trafficking among individuals who initially consented to migrate for work in a specific sector and were subsequently subjected to trafficking in that sector (including the sex trade) or in cases where individuals were compelled into sex or labor exploitation through psychological coercion or debt bondage rather than physical confinement. Officials reportedly faced difficulty recognizing cases of domestic servitude—even when physical abuse, restriction of movement, withholding of wages, and document confiscation were present.
Authorities had the discretion to provide services on a case-by- case basis; there were no formal policies ensuring victims’ access to services, and not all victims received the same level of protection. Singapore’s new trafficking law provides some protections for child victims, including access to shelter and a requirement that their testimony be held via videoconference. Most victims—including those not recognized in the government’s statistics—received shelter and services from NGOs that did not receive support from the government or shelters maintained by foreign embassies.The government provides funding and oversight to 24 shelters serving vulnerable children, including an unknown number of trafficking victims. Children’s shelters often housed victims alongside children who had committed crimes, and 16- and 17-year-olds were placed in facilities with adults. The government granted an unknown number of victims special passes or work permits that allowed them to temporarily live or work legally in Singapore. An NGO reported victims from certain countries are ineligible to receive work permits.The government-funded Seafarers’Welfare Centre referred distressed fishermen, including potential trafficking victims, to their respective embassies and provided limited humanitarian assistance; however, most victims of forced labor on fishing vessels

lacked work visas and therefore were not eligible for protective services or legal redress in Singapore.
The government reported a policy not to punish victims for crimes committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking, although it was not clear there was a legal basis for that policy on which victims could rely. In 2014, the government prosecuted workers for making false wage claims on work permit applications—despite their having been deceived by an employer about their salaries and subjected to unfounded wage deductions upon arrival in Singapore. According to NGOs and foreign embassies, inadequate victim identification resulted in the possibility trafficking victims were among the individuals arrested and penalized for prostitution violations.The government offered limited assistance for some victims participating in investigations and prosecutions of trafficking offenses, but many victims declined participation. There were reports victims did not wish to file official complaints with Singaporean authorities for fear of losing work permits or being forced to remain in the country and participate in a prosecution; an NGO reported instances of officials holding victims’ passports and requiring them to remain in the country while their cases were being prosecuted. NGOs and foreign embassies reported coordination between public and private stakeholders has improved, but the government’s lack of transparency regarding ongoing cases remained a problem and interfered with service providers’ ability to assist victims. The government did not provide long-term alternatives to removal to countries where victims may face hardship or retribution.

PREVENTION
The government continued efforts to prevent trafficking. The government’s interagency taskforce continued implementation of Singapore’s national action plan.The taskforce conducted campaigns through social media, newspapers, television, posters, and other outreach materials to educate workers on their rights, raise public awareness of trafficking, and publicize efforts to punish employers for trafficking-related violations.The government disbursed 72,500 Singapore dollars ($54,900) in grants for three entities conducting projects to raise awareness of human trafficking.The government investigated and imposed fines on some employment agencies for operating without a license or other illegal acts that could facilitate trafficking, but local experts observed agencies often committed such acts with impunity. The government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel. Unlike last year, the government did not prosecute or convict any individuals for purchasing commercial sex acts from children. In March 2015, authorities convicted a Singaporean man for intent to facilitate child sex tourism abroad.The government made limited efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts and no efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor. Singapore is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

SLOVAKIA: Tier 1 
The Slovak Republic, or Slovakia, is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Slovak men and women are subjected to forced labor in agriculture and construction in Western Europe, primarily in the United Kingdom (UK). Slovak women, who comprise the majority of victims, are subjected to sex trafficking in Germany,Austria, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, and other

European countries. Ukrainian, Moldovan, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Vietnamese men and women are subjected to forced labor in Slovakia. Eastern European women are also reportedly transported to and through Slovakia and forced into prostitution within the country and throughout Europe. Roma from marginalized communities are disproportionately vulnerable to trafficking. Slovak children of Romani descent are subjected to sex trafficking within marginalized communities in the Slovak Republic and forced criminal behavior in the UK. Slovak men, women, and children of Romani descent are subjected to forced begging throughout Western Europe.
The Government of the Slovak Republic fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government increased investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of traffickers and funding for victim protection. However, courts issued light and suspended sentences for convicted traffickers that did not deter traffickers nor protect victims. Sixteen of the 19 convicted traffickers received suspended sentences, another received a mere fine, and two received sentences of two years’ imprisonment.The government continued to struggle to identify foreign victims of trafficking, with NGOs reporting that potential victims were not properly identified among migrants because they were encouraged to take advantage of assisted voluntary return. Legal support to victims was inadequate, and victims who cooperated with prosecution were at risk of re-traumatization. The government approved a national program to fight trafficking covering 2015-2018, but some NGOs continued to report challenges with effective participation in the Expert Working Group.