Singapore’s Modern-Day Slaves

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought our attention to the plight of Singapore’s migrant workers, with those living in dormitories accounting for most of our reported virus cases. But beyond their poor, overcrowded living conditions and lack of access to proper healthcare services, what do we really know about these men who have— quite literally— built our nation from the ground up?

Exploitation has been rife in the industry for a long time and the government has turned a blind eye to it in favour of relying on cheap labour to grow our economy.

Until and unless we address the issues of systemic mistreatment of foreign workers, and legal loopholes that allow corporations to force them into debt (and subsequently, work), this mistreatment is unlikely to change.

So, the next time you look out from your flat, think about those who have sacrificed years of their lives to build it for less than a dollar day.

Read more about it here.