PART XI
OFFENCES AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Authority of courts to issue arrest and search warrants
152. If any court has reason to believe that any place is used by a woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution and that any other person residing in or frequenting the house is living wholly or in part on the immoral earnings of that woman or girl, the court may issue a warrant authorising the Director or any public officer nominated by the Minister or any police officer not below the rank of sergeant to enter and search the place and to arrest such person. [21/73]
Trials in camera in certain cases
153. —(1) When any person is charged with or convicted of having committed any offence under this Part, or of having committed or attempted to commit or attempted to cause the commission of any offence under section 354, 354A, 375, 376, 376A, 376B, 376C, 376D, 376E, 376F, 376G or 377B of the Penal Code in respect of any woman or girl, the court conducting a preliminary inquiry into, or trying the offence, or hearing any appeal or special case or any point reserved by a Judge of the High Court in relation to the offence, may order that all proceedings before it shall be dealt with in camera.
[51/2007]
(2) Whenever any such order is made, the court shall not be deemed an open court, and the court shall order that no person shall have access to or be or remain in the court except such persons as are necessary for the purpose of the proceedings.
(3) The court shall order proceedings before it to be dealt with in camera in any case where the girl in respect of whom an offence referred to in subsection (1) is alleged to have been committed has not attained the age of 16 years.[51/2007]
(4) No newspaper report of any proceedings under this Part in any court shall reveal —
(a) the name or address or include any particulars given in the proceedings calculated to lead to the identification; or
(b) the name or address of any witness, or the particulars of any evidence given by the witness in the proceedings, which may lead to the identification,
of any woman or girl in respect of whom the offence is alleged to have been committed nor shall any picture be published in any newspaper as being or including the picture of the woman or girl or witness. [26/80]
(5) Any person who publishes any matter in contravention of this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both.
Trial of offences
154. —(1) All offences under this Part shall be triable by a District Court.
(2) No prosecution shall be instituted in respect of any such offence without the consent of the Director or the Public Prosecutor or his deputy.
(3) Any District Court may, notwithstanding anything in the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68), impose the full punishment prescribed by this Part in respect of any offence.
(4) Prosecutions in respect of offences committed under this Part may, with the authorisation of the Public Prosecutor, be conducted by the Director or any officer of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports authorised in writing in that behalf by the Director.[14/69]
Detention pending judicial proceedings
155. —(1) Any court inquiring into or trying an offence punishable under this Part or under section 309, 312, 313, 317, 354, 370, 371, 372, 373, 373A, 375, 376, 376A, 376B, 376C, 376D, 376E, 376F, 376G or 377B of the Penal Code (Cap. 224) or defined in section 321, 322, 339, 340, 350, 351, 360, 361 or 362 of the Penal Code may order any woman or girl in respect of whom the offence is alleged to have been committed to be detained temporarily until the determination of the proceedings against the person accused.
[51/2007]
(2) Where an order is made under subsection (1), the Director shall receive such woman or girl and shall put her in a place of safety and shall there detain her until the determination of the proceedings.
(3) Notwithstanding the determination of the proceedings against the accused person, the Director may, by warrant under his hand, order the detention in a place of safety of any woman or girl referred to in this section whom he considers is in need of protection, and thereupon such arrangements shall be made for her welfare as the Director considers necessary.
(4) In exercising his powers under subsection (3), the Director shall not contravene section 161.
Director may examine women and girls and person in charge of them
156. —(1) If the Director has reasonable cause to believe that —
(a) any woman or girl has been brought into Singapore either after having been purchased or by fraud, misrepresentation or any false pretence whether or not for the purpose of prostitution or of being sent from Singapore;
(b) the custody of any woman or girl has been acquired either after having been purchased or by fraud, misrepresentation or any false pretence whether or not for the purpose of prostitution or of being sent from Singapore;
(c) any woman or girl has been purchased either within or without Singapore for the purpose of being used, trained or disposed of as a prostitute; or
(d) any woman or girl is being detained against her will for the purpose of prostitution or of being sent from Singapore for immoral purposes,
the Director, or any person authorised in that behalf by him in writing, may require the woman or girl and any person who appears to have the custody or control of her to appear before him at any reasonable time and at any convenient place.
(2) The Director may examine the woman or girl as to her reasons for entering or being in Singapore and may examine the person respecting the woman or girl, and the woman or girl and the person shall be legally bound to answer such questions truthfully to the best of their ability.
(3) The Director may also require any person in whose custody or under whose control the woman or girl appears to be to furnish him with copies of her and the person"s photograph and to furnish security to the satisfaction of the Director that she will not leave Singapore without the previous consent in writing of the Director and will not be trained or disposed of as a prostitute or for immoral purposes and will not, whether by way of adoption, marriage or otherwise, be transferred to the care and custody of any other person without the previous consent in writing of the Director and that she will be produced before the Director whenever he requires it.
(4) In default of such photographs and security being given, the Director may by warrant under his hand order the woman or girl to be removed to a place of safety and there detained until she can be returned to the place from where she was brought or until other proper provision can be made for her welfare.
(5) Where the Director has reason to believe that the woman or girl may be sent from Singapore, he may issue an order for her to be detained in a place of safety until the determination of any inquiry or until after such arrangement has been made for her welfare as the Director considers necessary.
Inspection
157. —(1) The Director or any officer generally or specially authorised in that behalf in writing by the Director may at any time visit and inspect the place where any woman or girl in respect of whom security has been furnished under section 156 lives or is believed to live or to be.
(2) The Director or any authorised officer may inquire into the condition and circumstances of the woman or girl and for the purposes of the inquiry the Director or officer may require any person to answer any question he may think proper to ask.
(3) Any person who —
(a) obstructs or hinders or attempts to obstruct or hinder the Director or any authorised officer in the exercise of the powers conferred by this section; or
(b) refuses to answer to the best of his knowledge and belief any question which he is legally bound to answer and which is asked of him by any officer appointed or authorised under this Part,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
Security on departure of woman or girl from Singapore
158. —(1) Whenever the Director is of opinion that it is in the interests of any woman or girl as is referred to in section 156 that she should be permitted to leave Singapore, the Director may grant permission upon being supplied with such photographs of the woman or girl as he may require and upon security being given to his satisfaction that the person in whose custody or control she appears to be will bring her before such public officer within such period and at such destination as may be specified in the bond.
(2) The giving of such further security shall not relieve any person who furnished the security required by section 156 from any obligation under the conditions of the bond entered into under that section, other than the condition relating to departure from Singapore, unless the public officer in the territory where such woman or girl then resides obtains fresh security conditioned in the manner specified in that section.
(3) A certificate under the hand of the public officer referred to in subsection (1) that such woman or girl has not been brought before him shall in any legal proceedings be conclusive evidence to that effect, unless the court requires that officer to be called as a witness.