[Last updated on 11 August 08]
TWC2 is a society that is concerned with the wellbeing of both female and male transient workers in Singapore. The largest groups of foreign workers in Singapore are female domestic workers and male construction workers. The society is a contact point for domestic workers who face problems with their employers, such as ill-treatment, over work and non-payment of salaries. TWC2 gives advice and tries to see that the worker concerned receives the most appropriate help. It also advises employers on difficult issues in dealing with their domestic workers. It is also an information provider to the public and to foreign workers, writing to the press, putting out press releases, answering questions from individuals who contact us (a large proportion of them being students) and producing specialised publications that include an employers’ guide to good relations with foreign domestic worker and help brochures for foreign workers that list useful telephone numbers
TWC2 seeks to further research on issues around the employment of foreign workers in Singapore and to encourage changes in public attitudes and official policies in order to improve their position and create more harmonious relations between these workers and their employers. It maintains a dialogue with different bodies concerned with foreign workers. It also seeks to improve the access of foreign workers to educational and recreational opportunities in Singapore that will serve their needs well.
Current projects
Building on the material that volunteers researched and prepared in Semester 2, 2006/2007, TWC2 is aiming to the design a “Train the Trainer” program. In essence this means that law students will be asked to design a training program to teach trainers to teach foreign domestic workers about their human rights under the law (sounds complicating but in practice, not so) Law students involved in this project group will also be the trainers and will be involved in teaching the material to groups of foreign domestic workers at the Ministry of Manpower and at embassies. Volunteers may also be required to re-design the existing material to make it more interactive.
Commitment Level
Varies. Amount of time spent on research to be determined individually.
Previous projects
[June-September 06] Human Trafficking:
5 law students did some preliminary research on the extent of the human trafficking problem in Singapore and whether Singapore’s model of prostitution effectively deters human traffickers from trafficking sex workers into Singapore.
[Semester 1, 2006/2007] Education of Domestic Workers on their Legal Rights:
Law students designed a presentation and training program to educate foreign domestic workers on their legal rights from a human rights perspective. The material drew on the strengths from existing UN documents and other online resources, and was modified such that the information was sensitive to the cultural differences and educational background of foreign domestic workers.
[March-June 2007] Trafficking Work Group:
A group of volunteers researched on issues regarding child sex tourism from the perspective of the greater human trafficking problem. They researched on the definitions of “human trafficking” and the existing legislative instruments to combat the human trafficking problem in various jurisdictions. Their findings were then compiled into a report expounding and critiquing these legislative instruments.
Head of Project
NUS Pro Bono Group 