The Old Ministry of Labour Building ( Chinese: 前劳工部大厦; ms, Bangunan Lama Menteri Pekerja) is a former building of the

Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...

located at Havelock Square in the Outram Planning Area, within the Central Area of Singapore's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. The building once housed the former Chinese Protectorate which was first established in 1877 to protect and control Chinese immigrants to Singapore. The building had since been restored in 1990 and currently used as the Family and Juvenile Court of Singapore.

History

After Singapore was established as a

Straits Settlement The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...

trading port in 1819, the arrival of the Chinese immigrants, whom mostly constituted of the villagers from southern China increased steadily. Most were men who had come to look for work as

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

d labourers or coolies. They were often abused by their agents, who held them indebted for their passage here or for fees of one kind or another. Many of the Chinese women who came ended up in

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s. Laws concerning the welfare of Chinese immigrants were drafted in 1867, though they were weakly implemented. In 1877, the Chinese Protectorate was launched as an intermediary between the colonial government and the Chinese community to try to stem the abuse of Chinese immigrants. William A. Pickering, who was familiar with Chinese culture and understood the problems of the Chinese community, was called to be in charge. The role of Chinese Protectorate was to look after the welfare of the Chinese community, its work involved fighting the exploitation of

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

s and coolies by their agents, the regulation of Chinese societies, and the control of triads. The first Chinese Protectorate was in a

shophouse A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...

on Canal Road. As the protectorate’s responsibilities and staff strength grew, its office was first relocated to the Upper Macao Street (present day Pickering Street), followed by a new shophouse at Boat Quay, and finally to a newly constructed two storey building at the corner of New Bridge Road and Havelock Road in 1886. Under Pickering, the Chinese Protectorate did much to improve the welfare of the Chinese community, which made Pickering a popular figure among the Chinese community. However, due to a near-fatal attack by a

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

member, he retired in 1888. The former Chinese Protectorate Building was later demolished and new Neo-Classical building was built in 1928 on its former site, with the Chinese Protectorate moved in 1930. The Chinese Protectorate functioned at the building until the outbreak of World War II. After the war, its responsibilities were taken over by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare from 1956 and later, the

and renamed as Ministry of Labour Building. The former Ministry of Labour Building was later taken over by the Singapore Ministry of Law and had been refurbished as the Family and Juvenile Court Building in 1990.

National Monument

The Old Ministry of Labour Building was gazetted as a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

on 27 February 1998.

References

*National Heritage Board (2002), ''Singapore's 100 Historic Places'', Archipelago Press, *Preservation of Monuments Board, ''Know Our Monuments''

External links

Subordinate Courts of Singapore
{{Authority control Government buildings completed in 1928 Landmarks in Singapore National monuments of Singapore Outram, Singapore 1928 establishments in Singapore 20th-century architecture in Singapore