Singapore will assess whether its child adoption processes need to be tightened once investigations into the alleged trafficking of Indonesian babies become clearer, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said in Parliament on Tuesday, February 3.
Documents and records seized by Indonesian authorities indicate that a syndicate based in West Java may have trafficked at least 25 children, including 15 who were allegedly sent to Singapore.
Masagos said agencies in Singapore are working closely with their Indonesian counterparts to establish the full facts of the case.
Responding in writing to a parliamentary question from Cassandra Lee (West Coast–Jurong West), Masagos said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) would review existing adoption processes once there is greater clarity. The review would consider whether further safeguards are needed to help prevent illegal or unethical adoption practices.
Lee had asked whether the government was considering measures to better support adoption agencies and families in conducting due diligence before proceeding with child adoptions.
In his reply, Masagos said any changes would be made using a “calibrated and proportionate approach”, noting that stricter checks could have trade-offs.
He cautioned that more stringent requirements may lengthen adoption timelines or make overseas adoptions unfeasible in some cases and could unfairly affect the majority of adoptions where there is no sign of wrongdoing.
Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming had said previously that adoption agencies in Singapore are expected to ensure that children brought into the country are of the “correct background and origin”. He noted that authorities already have guidelines outlining what agencies can and cannot do, as well as what constitutes proper due diligence.
However, Goh added that because adoption agencies operate on a commercial basis, adoptive parents also bear some responsibility in ensuring that proper checks are carried out.
Indonesian media reported in July last year that 12 people suspected of playing various roles in the trafficking syndicate had been arrested. Police interrogations found that each baby successfully sent to Singapore was allegedly sold for up to 20 million rupiah.
The latest case is not the first instance of suspected baby smuggling involving Indonesia and Singapore.
In 2016, Indonesian authorities arrested three people in Batam for allegedly attempting to sell a three-month-old baby boy to Singapore for about US$8,000.
