Number of Singaporean and Foreign Sex Workers Arrested and Prosecuted for Public Solicitation in Past 10 Years

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Home Affairs for each year in the past 10 years, of the sex workers (i) arrested and (ii) prosecuted for public solicitation of prostitution, how many were Singaporeans and foreigners respectively.

Soliciting in public is an offence under Section 19 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, or "MOA". Offenders are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $1,000, and repeat offenders are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $2,000 or maximum imprisonment of six months, or both.

Between 2009 and 2018, Police made 281 arrests for public solicitation, which resulted in 181 prosecutions. The annual figures from 2009 to 2018 are in Table 1.

Approximately one in four arrested persons and one in five prosecuted persons were Singapore citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents.