Debated in Parliament on 6 Mar 2026.
He Ting Ru asked about the protocols for real-time information sharing regarding suspected child trafficking syndicates linked to adoptions in Singapore, the number of joint operations or information requests in the past five years, and whether upstream efforts would be enhanced. K Shanmugam stated that the Singapore Police Force maintains strong ties with foreign authorities for information exchange on transnational crime, including a request from Indonesian authorities regarding alleged trafficking cases. He noted that there have been no other joint operations or information requests related to child trafficking syndicates in the past five years. He referred to a previous parliamentary reply regarding the review of adoption processes for more information.
Ms He Ting Ru asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the protocols for real-time information sharing with foreign authorities on suspected child trafficking syndicates linked to Singapore adoptions; (b) how many joint operations or information requests on child trafficking occurred in the last five years; and (c) whether upstream efforts such as pre-clearance checks and source-country probes will be enhanced.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) maintains close ties with foreign counterparts and exchanges information on transnational crime investigation matters, both bilaterally and via multilateral organisations, such as the Interpol.
Following a request from the Indonesian National Police (INP) in September 2025 on the allegations of babies being trafficked from Indonesia into Singapore for adoption, SPF has been rendering assistance to the INP for their investigations.
Apart from this request from INP, SPF has not been requested to participate in any joint operation nor received any information request from any other foreign counterpart relating to child trafficking syndicates linked to adoptions in Singapore in the last five years.
On whether adoption processes will be reviewed, the Member of Parliament may wish to refer to a Parliamentary Question reply on this matter by the Ministry of Social and Family Development for the Parliament Sitting on 3 February 2026. [Please refer to "Due Diligence Measures before Processing Adoption of Children", Official Report, 3 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 15, Written Answers to Questions section.]