Adoptive parents in Singapore whose children were brought in from Indonesia are facing delays in their children’s citizenship applications as authorities investigate a suspected baby trafficking network operating between the two countries.
In a joint statement issued on Friday (Jan 9), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said they are aware of allegations that infants were trafficked from Indonesia into Singapore for adoption. Both ministries said Singapore is working closely with Indonesian authorities to review the matter.
The probe began after Indonesia’s National Police sought Singapore’s assistance in September 2025. Since then, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has been cooperating with its Indonesian counterparts to investigate an alleged trafficking syndicate based in West Java, which reportedly involved three Singaporeans.
In July last year, Indonesian police arrested an alleged syndicate leader in Jakarta and seized documents indicating that at least 25 babies had been trafficked. Of these, 15 were believed to have already been sent to Singapore for adoption.
SPF and MSF are now working with Indonesian police and Indonesia’s Ministry of Social Affairs to verify the circumstances of the affected children and to determine whether they were unlawfully taken from their biological families.
MHA and MSF said child trafficking is a serious crime that exploits vulnerable children, violates their rights, and can have long-term effects on their well-being and development.
The ministries also confirmed that MSF and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority have been in contact with adoptive parents to explain the situation, which has led to delays in the processing of citizenship applications for the children involved.
“We understand the distress this situation has caused adoptive parents and are working closely across agencies to resolve the cases as quickly as possible, while safeguarding the welfare and interests of the children,” the ministries said.
Families facing financial difficulties during the interim period have been advised to seek assistance from social service offices.
