Date: December 8 to 11, 2011

Tickets: $28, from Sistic

Venue: Lasalle Creative Cube C101

Playwright : Holly Ho
Ho won 1997 Creative Circle’s Best New Chinese Copywriter Award. She started playwriting in 2009 and has since taken part in Drama Box’s Blanc Space Playwright Series II & III, Short & Sweet Festivals, A SEED: A Series of Underground Art as well as 2011 Theatre Practice’s Playwrights’ Boot Camp.

Director: Li Xie
Li performs, writes, directs and teaches. In 2004, she created the first “mockumentary” news theatre “News Busters! In 2005, she was awarded the Young Artist Award by National Arts Council.

Cast: Goh Guat Kian, Tan Beng Tian, Doreen Toh, Tan Wan Sze, Koh Wan Ching and Goh Seok Ai

Synopsis:

Who is considered a virgin?
Does an intact hymen constitute being a virgin? Even if it was reconstructed?
What about those who just indulge in tongue action?
Masturbating without intercourse?
Victims of sexual harassment without intercourse?
What about those with wild fantasies?
Are lesbians considered virgins?
Who is considered an old maid?
At what age are you considered an old maid?
Says who?

Mature Content. Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles

About Drama Box’s New Play Season 2011:

Drama Box celebrates the harvesting of scripts, written during its 18-month-long playwriting incubation programme Blanc Space Playwright Series, with New Play Season 2011. This is our second New Play Season. The 2 new plays we are producing this year are The Jade Bangle and Old Maid. The season also features playwriting workshops and a talk by acclaimed Taiwanese playwright, Mr Chi Wei-jan, as well as 2 dramatized readings.

Sinema is screening Sex Volunteer, a 2010 Korean film, on Dec 10 and 11.

Sun, 11 Dec 2011, 3.30pm (with post-screening Q&A from 5.30pm – 6.3pm – Free Entry. RSVP not required.)

Synopsis:

Helmed by director Cho Kyeong-duk, this film received the Humanitarian and International Jury award at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival in 2009.

Starring Jo Kyeong-ho, Lee Yoon-ho, Han Yeo-reum and Hong Seung-gi, the film is about the discovery of an organization that offers sex to disabled people.

A young female student, a disabled man, and a priest are arrested in a hotel room for a suspected prostitution. During the police investigation, the group claims that the girl was a sex volunteer.

Chun-Guil, who can not use his arms or legs, has taught himself to become a poet. However, he failed to express his feelings to his first crush. He also fails to meet his online date due to her family’s objections.

Feeling desperate and knowing his death is imminent, Chun-Guil confesses to the priest that he wants to feel sexual pleasure during his lifetime. As the priest contemplates Chun-Guil’s confession, Ye-Ri, a young film student, comes into the picture.

On Dec 10, there will also be a post-screening Q&A session from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. The speakers are:

Michael Switow (moderator)
Michael Switow is an anti-poverty campaigner and freelance writer/producer. He is a co-founder of ONE (SINGAPORE), which is dedicated to raising public awareness and taking concrete actions to Make Poverty History. He is a representative on the Global Council of the world’s largest anti-poverty coalition, the Global Call To Action Against Poverty.

Wong Yock Leng
Wong has more than 16 years of experience in both social work and NGO work, having spent 7 years in Hong Kong in an international NGO on students’ empowerment/development. She has also worked on issues pertaining to women workers in Asia Pacific, migrant workers, and sex workers in Hong Kong and China.

Brian Bergen-Aurand
Brian Bergen-Aurand teaches film and critical theory at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he specializes in the relationship between film, ethics, and embodiment. He earned his PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Maryland College Park in 2004, with a dissertation titled Seeing And The Seen: Post-Phenomenological Ethics And The Cinema. His most recent articles have appeared in Journal of Information Ethics, Journal of Intercultural Studies, New Review of Film and Television Studies, Photovision, Romance Studies, and CineAction. Currently, he is completing a book entitled Cinematic Provocations: Ethics, Justice, and the Body and compiling The Encyclopedia of Queer Cinema. He is the former sex and gender editor at Clamor Magazine.

Get more information and ticketing and registration details for these events here.

The 2011 UN Women Buy to Save sale is a designer fashion event. Proceeds from the sale benefit women and girls who are at-risk from violence, abuse and exploitation. Together with our title sponsor MasterCard, UN Women is inviting all members of the public to come and support our efforts by purchasing pre-owned designer clothing and accessories while learning about critical issues affecting women in Asia Pacific.

This year’s event will be held at Suntec City Convention Centre (Level 3 Room 320) on December 3 and 4 (Saturday and Sunday) from 10 AM to 5 PM. High quality designer clothing, shoes and handbags are donated through the generosity of individuals through our partners MasterCard, Club 21 and more.

Items on sale will be priced at $10 and above, making designer fashion accessible to the frugal fashionistas in all of us.

Payment methods accepted: CASH/NETS/VISA/MASTERCARD

This is the fifth year that UN Women is hosting the Buy to Save sale. In 2010, the event raised more than $75,000 with more than 1,200 attendees. UN Women hopes to increase that number this year to involve more Singaporeans in our efforts to improve the lives of women in the region.

Our title sponsor MasterCard will make a $2 donation for every transaction made at Buy to Save with a MasterCard card. In addition, DBS Bank will make a $1 donation for transactions made using a DBS MasterCard card.

Funds raised through Buy to Save will benefit the Beautiful People mentoring program, the Andrew & Grace Home for at-risk young girls and residents of Star Shelter.

Get more information here.

About UN Women Singapore
The UN Women National Committee Singapore (formerly UNIFEM Singapore) is a non-profit organization that oversees advocacy, fundraising and programming in regards to women’s empowerment and equality. Established in 1999, it functions under the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women headquartered in New York.

UN Women Singapore supports education and awareness programs that provide women and children with access to education, healthcare, economic independence and a life free from violence and abuse. Our current programs include the STOP Sex Trafficking Campaign and the DAY OFF Campaign for foreign domestic workers.

SlutWalk Singapore has launched its official website. Check it out to get the latest updates on the event.

Before the SlutWalk on December 4, there will be a number of related events. These include:

SlutRide, jointly organised with cycling advocacy group Critical Mass.

SlutScreen, organised by independent collective Underneath The Radar, and featuring films and documentaries touching on issues surrounding sexual assault, victim-blaming/slut-shaming, sexuality, and consent.

SlutTalk, featuring workshops, talks and discussions on issues like sexual assault, the local relevance of the SlutWalk movement, and sexuality and intimacy.

For dates, times and registration details, refer to the SlutWalk Singapore website.

Skinned Knee Productions is proud to present Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down – a play that explores and highlights issues of domestic violence and their affect on the community as a whole.

Can’t Stand up for Falling Down will be performed from November 30 to December 3 at The Echo Loft on Smith Street. It will be directed by Ms Rayann Condy and stars an all-female cast.

AWARE members can book the $20 concession tickets for opening night, November 30, Wednesday. Book your tickets here.

Please note that Can’t Stand up for Falling Down has moved to an exciting new venue!

The show will now be at The Speakeasy which is at 54 Blair Rd. It’s a 5-10 min walk from Outram Park MRT.

Its a beautiful heritage shop house with a wonderful wine list. Come early to enjoy dinner and drinks are available all through the show.

Your existing ticket is still valid.

Check out Map:

http://g.co/maps/eszh9

SYNOPSIS

Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down (recently performed to high acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011) is a story told by three women.

Lynette is a quiet and spiritual woman who married the wrong man. Ruby was a rebellious teenager who now lives with the consequences of loving the wrong man. Jodie is cheerful and loving teenager whose youth was shattered by a violent man.

Through a series of monologues and scenes which weave together the stories of these three very different women, we discover the way their lives are impacted by violence.

It is a poetic and lyrical investigation of why we love the people we love, and the ripples of impact our actions create.

The playwright Richard Cameron has been praised for his subtly charged lyrical dialogue and has won numerous awards including the Sunday Times Playwriting Award, and the Independent Award for Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down.

It is a celebration of women as friends, daughters, mothers, wives, workers and strangers – their fragility and their ability to overcome.

Our aims for this production

Through a collaborative working process, we aim to create a quality production that will communicate an important message in an artistic manner.

With this piece we hope to highlight and spread awareness about violence against women while also putting on a piece of great theatre. As female theatre practitioners we strongly feel that there is not enough work being written for, produced, and put on by and for women about issues that affect women and the
community as a whole.

Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down is a beautiful play in which an important subject matter, that affects women in all countries around the world, is explored.

With this production, Skinned Knee is hoping to not only further create progress in the ever-growing arts industry, but also give back to the Singapore community in terms of creating awareness and, hopefully, inspiring change.

Find out more about Skinned Knee Productions here.

December 10th is Human Rights’ Day. Human Rights is for all. Human Rights affects all.

In a city of 5.18 million, some are homeless, some don’t have food, others work endlessly to make ends meet, many deal with discrimination often.

So why have a Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

We are certain each one of us has a story to share. Send it to us in an essay format (not more than 2, 000 words) or poetry. There are 3 categories:

• Cat A: 18 to 35 years old
• Cat B: 36 to 65 years old
• Cat C: 66 years old onwards

All entries have to be submitted before November 17, 2011. Registration details are available here.

Attractive Prizes to be won. Category A winners stand a chance to win a coveted internship with an overseas Non-Governmental Organisation dealing with human rights. Send in your entry today!

This contest is open to all persons living in Singapore except MARUAH members.

MARUAH invites you to its next human rights education initiative, where you will get the opportunity to learn more about the Internal Security Act (ISA) and direct questions to a panel of legal practitioners.

Assistant Professor Jack Lee from the School of Law, Singapore Management University, will review the history of the ISA, the regime for detention without trial under the ISA, and the legal challenges to the legality of detention under the ISA in the late 1980s and early 1990s following Operation Spectrum. Mr Peter Low, former President of the Law Society of Singapore, will provide a practical perspective to the implementation of the ISA, particularly highlighting his experience appearing before an ISA Advisory Board as a defence lawyer. Mr Choo Zhengxi, a MARUAH member (and also co-founder of The Online Citizen) will talk about the ISA from a rights-based perspective. There will then be a Q&A session with the attendees chaired by Mr P N Balji, former Editor-In-Chief of TODAY newspaper.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: October 22, 2011, Saturday
Time: 10am to 11.30am
Location: Bras Basah Complex #04-41, CSM, Action Room

Please register for this event here.

e2i (Employment And Employability Institute) is an initiative of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). We provide trained workers to employers and help companies recruit, train and improve productivity.

We are organizing a Services Industry Job Fair @ Buona Vista on Oct 19, 2011.

More than 500 job vacancies in F&B/ Retail, Attractions, Hotel & Administration.

e2i Services Industry Job Fair @ Buona Vista

Date: 19 October 2011, Wednesday
Venue: Buona Vista Community Club, Multi-Purpose Hall, Blk 36 Holland Drive
Time: 10am to 5pm

Specially For Women: “Nail That Job Interview” Workshop

We have tailored a workshop especially for women, to help you be better prepared for the job fair.

The workshop focuses on communication, presentation and grooming techniques. Our trainer will be identifying common challenges faced by women looking for jobs and how to overcome them. Workshop is conducted in English and employers will be present to share suitable job vacancies.

Date: 17 October 2011, Monday
Venue: Buona Vista Community Club, Blk 36 Holland Drive
Time: 2pm to 5pm

The above events are open to Singaporeans and Singapore PRs only.

Register for the Job Fair and Workshop here or call 6474-3777.

Admission is strictly by pre-registration.

Drafting of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) is ongoing, and this affects us in Singapore too.

MARUAH, the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism in Singapore, is organizing a consultation session on its progress.

Come for an update on ASEAN and Human Rights and a discussion for a proposal on the AHRD.

It is essential that Singapore women also engage with this process, and see that women’s rights are human rights.

Come be a part of this consultation session. Ensure that your voice is heard.

DETAILS

Date: Saturday, October 15, 2011

Time: 9am to 12 noon

Venue: Training Room 3, SCWO (96 Waterloo Street)

Click here to register for the event. For more information, e-mail maruahsg@gmail.com.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The principles of human rights are set out in documents such as the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights (UDHR) and legally-binding treaties like the International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant On Economic, Social And Cultural Rights.

In 1993, the Vienna Declaration And Program of Action emphasized the need “to consider the possibility of establishing regional and sub-regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights where they do not already exist”.

In the same year, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) stated that it is “the task and responsibility of member states to establish an appropriate regional mechanism on human rights” in its Declaration on Human Rights.

Since then, a growing partnership with ASEAN is creating opportunities for the eventual creation of an inter-governmental commission.

Potential benefits of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration mechanism:

• Assist ASEAN member states in addressing human rights concerns in their respective areas of
  jurisdiction
• Ensure that international human rights laws are observed and implemented by ASEAN countries
  who have agreed to them
• Help ASEAN people have a common understanding of universal human rights issues and
  perspectives

TWC2, in collaboration with HOME and UN Women (formerly Unifem) recently published a research report on attitudes to a weekly day off for domestic workers.

TWC2 will be hosting a forum discussion for employers and other interested persons to discuss views and feelings around giving domestic workers a day off. We would like to hear your thoughts and feelings on giving your maid a day off.

DETAILS

Date: October 15, Saturday
Time: 3pm to 5pm
Venue: Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, Training Room 3, 96 Waterloo St. Get directions here.
Moderator: Dr Lai Ah Eng, Senior Research Fellow, Asia Research Institute, NUS

Email centre@twc2.org.sg by October 7 to register for this event.

About 1 in every 5 families in Singapore employs a maid. We depend on them to keep our households running smoothly, to care for our elderly, and to look after our children.

Is it disruptive for them to be away from your home for as long as 24 hours as frequently as every week? How would we cope with balancing our work obligations with our family responsibilities? Would it cause difficulties in our family relationships, stresses at the workplace, and limit our social lives? Would your maid learn bad habits or place your family at risk if she has a regular day off?

Or would she be a better worker, rested and enthusiastic, grateful and happy to work for you, unwilling to jeopardise things by causing problems?

Most employers agree their maid should have rest time. But there are many views about when this should be, where, and what you need to cope with it. Is there enough support from the government? Can it provide more facilities? And would you even want to complicate your life by incorporating a day off into your weekly family routine?

We are keen to hear from you, to find out your challenges and fears, and your personal viewpoints about the day off. We would like to cordially invite you to join us for a discussion session, help us to understand your needs better. You’ll be joined by other employers who want their views to be known.