The Plight of Migrant Workers from Myanmar — Deception, Exploitation, Trafficking and Forced Labour in Singapore
On 11 March 2026, CNA shared the findings of a 2-month long investigation into the exploitation of Myanmar migrant workers in Singapore. You can read the article published on their site here or watch the video clip of the live report below.
Related Posts
This is a compilation of 5 posts we’ve made since October 2025 last year about the exploitation of migrant workers in Singapore.
These posts cover:
predatory recruitment practices
sex work and sex trafficking
a Myanmar worker’s experience falling victim to an employment scam
different types of employment scams that migrant workers experience
Some of the posts are summaries of longer articles that you can find linked below each post.
Predatory Practices: How Recruitment Practices Enable the Exploitation of Migrant Workers Through Debt
This post lays out how current recruitment practices keep workers indebted with recruitment fees, thus making them vulnerable to accepting deteriorating and exploitative working conditions.
Find the written article here.
Sex Work & Sex Trafficking in Singapore: A Closer Look
This post unveils the specific conditions and vulnerabilities of sex work & sex trafficking that migrant workers experience in Singapore. This post also elaborates on how prejudice informs policy – with victims facing the risk of criminalisation and how this discourages them from seeking help.
Find the written article here.
Scammed: The Story of Julie, A Burmese Migrant Worker Who Was Fired After Paying $4500 in Agency Fees
In this post, a resident of our Shelter for Women Migrant Workers tells her story coming from Myanmar in her own words. After her family pooled all their money to afford recruitment fees, she was made to work a different job than what she was promised, and let go within a month.
Find the written article here.
Scam City Part 1: The Food Processing Scam & The Churn
Video overviews of a shocking variety of scams and deceptive employment practices identified in our case work, as well as policy recommendations. Part 1 discusses the Food Processing Scam and The Churn – where employers and agents scam workers out of their recruitment fees.
Find the written article here.
Scam City Part 2: Training Employment Pass (TEP) and Training Work Permit (TWP) Scams
Part 2 covers how agents and employers abuse the Training Employment Pass (TEP) and Training Work Permit (TWP) schemes to scam migrant workers in Singapore.
Published 19 March 2026