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Baby trafficking has made the news in Indonesia and Singapore in recent months.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, many expectant mothers struggle to afford prenatal care and the costs associated with childbirth and raising a child.<\/p>\n
According to the World Bank, around 60 per cent of Indonesia\u2019s population \u2013 or 171.9 million people \u2013 lived on less than US$6.85 a day in 2024, the World Bank\u2019s poverty line for upper-middle income countries like Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Experts have told CNA that while poverty remains the biggest driver of the trade, the problem is compounded by deep social stigma surrounding abortion and widespread misunderstanding of how the legal adoption process works.<\/p>\n
Social media has further enabled the trade, allowing syndicate members to connect directly with potential birth mothers and adopters across provinces and even national borders.<\/p>\n
Documents and records seized by the Indonesian authorities suggest the syndicate had\u00a0allegedly trafficked at least 25 children<\/a>, including 15 who had already been sent to Singapore, authorities in Singapore have said.<\/p>\n Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said in February that\u00a0agencies were working closely with the relevant Indonesian authorities on the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the facts are clearer, the Ministry of Social and Family Development will review whether existing adoption processes should be enhanced,\u201d he said in a written response to a parliamentary question.<\/p>\n In January, Singapore\u2019s Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said the country was working closely with relevant agencies to ensure all inter-country adoptions comply with strict legal requirements<\/a> at home and in the babies\u2019 countries of origin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n