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Year: 2012

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Tackling human trafficking in Singapore

In February, the Inter-agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons sought public feedback on the proposed National Plan of Action, which will guide Singapore’s response to trafficking in persons (also known as TIP) from 2012-2015.
AWARE submitted our recommendations for tackling TIP, a significant transnational crime which exploits vulnerable victims. Singapore is an attractive hub of economic activity with high people flows, and seen as an attractive destination country by human trafficking syndicates.

 The following are some of our submitted recommendations. Read our full report here.

Produce an annual self-assessment report of Singapore’s efforts to combat TIP

This report should use international indicators on trafficking, so that Singapore’s national report will stand up to international scrutiny as a fair and balanced report.

Enhance data collection, statistical reporting and monitoring of TIP offences through developing of dashboard

  • This is fundamental for developing indicators, reporting mechanisms and documentation.
  • This portal of information should  be made transparent, and data should be disaggregated by various indicators useful for prevention work.

 Request for funding of TIP initiatives

  • AWARE proposes that the State set up a compensatory trust fund to aid victims of trafficking.
  • As trafficking is a cross-cutting issues which intersects both vertically and horizontally on other areas, it is best if each Ministry allocates at least 0.5 percent of its Total Budget to the trafficking cause for the next five years.
  • AWARE also proposes that the inter-agency task force on TIP be developed into a fully-functioning unit in due course.
  • Many needs will require funding from the Government if an effective National Action Plan on TIP is to be set up. These include supporting the direct service work of NGOs, to enhance trans-border collaborations, for intensive capacity building of many stakeholders, to conduct research and invest in rehabilitation schemes.
  • At the ASEAN level, State should initiate an ASEAN initiate towards trafficking. This can include the sharing of information on trafficking cases, especially to combat trafficking syndicates.

Study feasibility of accession to UN Palermo Protocol on TIP

  • AWARE urges the Government to play a bigger role, internationally, by ratifying the Palermo Protocol in its entirety.
  • We advocate for a committee – comprising lawyers from the AGC, private practice and NGOs – to be formed to review all laws that have some bearing on trafficking issues and to study how other countries amended existing laws to be in compliance with the Palermo Protocol.

Define sex and labour trafficking offences and indicators

  • AWARE is of the view that the definition of Trafficking as set out in the Palermo United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (2000) should be wholly adopted by the Singapore Government in any legislation adopted in his country. This definition as stated at Article 3 of the Protocol is as follows:

“Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs…”

Embark on comprehensive training curriculum for Government officials


  • This training is crucial and must be provided on a regular basis and continue indefinitely on an updated basis. We urge that the training programmes include gender, class, and the dynamics of the power relation between traffickers and victims.
  •  AWARE suggests that this training be provided for all government and non-government officials, including front-line officers across all departments; social workers; health workers; police; immigration officials; court officials; airline carriers; corporate members of the transport industries; media personnel; and airport staff.
  • AWARE envisages that such training should be specifically provided to foreign workers. This could be achieved by inserting a component on labour and sex trafficking in orientation workshops.

Conduct joint research studies

  • A commissioned study to investigate the management of front-line immigration services would be highly beneficial.
  • Research with other countries would be of considerable value, especially in the areas of training to identify good programmes and the efficacy of victim assistance programmes by various agencies.
  • Inter-governmental knowledge-sharing can be utilised particularly for the prevention of labour and sex trafficking purposes. For example, inter-departmental research could be undertaken into cross-border match-making agencies, re-entry schemes, and the interviewing mechanisms of victims.

Conduct TIP campaigns

  • Campaigns should be directed towards the education of trafficking issues, including detection, for members of the general public. Campaigns should work towards dissipating a culture of blame against victims of trafficking.

Strengthen case referral mechanism for potential victims and members of public


  • Trafficking is a trans-border issue. Case referral mechanisms will need to include an intelligence system that operates at both regional (ASEAN) and international levels. Such an intelligence system will function as an early detection system of potential TIP cases.
  • A well-coordinated, robust, tried and tested inter-government referral system should also include NGOs.
  • Education is key in a system of early detection and this should be directed at members of the general public, students, and workers in specific industries where there are higher chances of persons being trafficked, such as the construction and  entertainment industries.

Set up TIP national hotline

  • The training of the front-line staff is crucial for this, as their role would be to empathise and be also the early detectors.
  • We ask that this hotline be toll-free and widely advertised in Singapore and in neighbouring countries.
Strengthen investigation and prosecution processes

  • Without accepting the Palermo Protocol’s definition on trafficking as  the principle on which to develop investigation processes across  various ministries, any effort to strengthen investigation and prosecution processes will fall short as syndicates can easily remain free of prosecution.
  • There needs to be robust monitoring of all crime syndicates, recruiters and other guises for trafficking such as matchmaking agencies and labour recruitment agencies in Singapore and their counterparts in other countries.
  • Any investigation process can be subverted if there is no immunity programme to support the victim for her/his cooperation with investigations.
  • AWARE also urges that investigation processes can cover reduced prosecution charges if any accused person can cooperate well enough resulting in syndicate leaders and others further up the supply chain being caught for trafficking offences.
  • AWARE believes in the next five years it is important for police officers, immigration officers and NGOs to have constant dialogues in a safe environment of sharing and monitoring cases to seek systemic improvements in the following key areas – case management, case investigation, case prosecution, case protection for witness, case re-integration.

Fast track TIP cases

  • We presume that the fast tracking relates to both  expediting prosecution before the courts and urgent investigation of TIP cases in order to bring sufficient charges against a trafficker or a person in the trafficking chain. AWARE agrees with this approach for the following reasons:
    • The longer it takes to investigate, the harder it will to locate trafficker and those in the trafficking chain, since the traffickers will have begun to take precautions following the escape of the victim.
    • Accelerated efforts in advancing prosecution means that the victim does not have to contend with the stresses and anxiety of a long prosecution.
  • AWARE asks for additional resources to be set up specialized enforcement teams for sex and labour trafficking. It is also important to establish meaningful liaisons with the NGO community.
  • For processes to be efficient and sensitive, prosecutors and judges must be appropriately trained to avoid delays and unnecessary adjournments and to list the case in priority to other cases.

Set up specialized enforcement teams for sex and labour trafficking


  • There should be specially trained dedicated and cross-sectorial enforcement teams for sex and labour trafficking who are appropriately trained to investigate all possible fronts for trafficking ( including syndicates which operate under the guise of matchmaking agencies and maid recruitment agencies). This will lead to speedier intelligence gathering and prosecution.

Study setting up of joint databases across enforcement agencies



  •  Such a database should be used to generate meaningful and investigative research, and to link up with databases in other countries, in concerted investigative efforts of tracking syndicates.

Review legislations related to TIP



  • For the Palermo Protocol to be ratified, there are many local laws that need amendments. These include the Immigration Act, Women’s Charter, Penal Code, Children and Young Persons Act, Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, Employment Act and others.
  • We urge for a thorough review of existing laws for coherence and ask for a standalone Anti-Trafficking Act to be put in place. We draw attention to the UN Model Law Document on TIP to be used as a benchmark as it is a thorough piece of legislation from which local anti-trafficking laws can be adapted for adoption.
  • Cognizant of the challenges ahead in amending laws well enough for effective prosecution, AWARE would like to suggest that the accused can be charged cumulatively under the different Acts and bear the deterrent sentences consecutively.
  • We would also like to see civil redress being incorporated into the standalone Anti-Trafficking Act or into the amended laws. This money can then be used to help victims re-enter their countries and/or for re-integration programmes.
  • We would also like to see deterrent penalties for trafficking offences be substantially increased, in severity.
  • AWARE would also like to see a provision to freeze assets of suspects as investigations are ongoing so that movement of assets is severely limited.
Engage judiciary and prosecutors on severity of TIP offences and need for commensurate penalties and deterrent sentencing.
  • 


The Judiciary and prosecution should be trained on the economic model of trafficking, the pathway that trafficked victims take and the threats against victims. Training with such background will go a long way to help the judiciary and the prosecution understand the nature of trafficking, both for migrant workers and trafficked persons, as defined by the Palermo Protocol.
  • We also propose that the victim has access to compensatory relief from the perpetrator’s (trafficker’s) gains.
  • AWARE would also like to see the recovery of wealth and fines from traffickers be used to bolster access to legal aid for the victims.

Train enforcement officers in victim identification management

  • AWARE asks for consistency in the indicators to be used. These indicators must be used by all front-line officers whether they are from enforcement, immigration, social agencies.  We highlight that there are plenty of materials on this subject and AWARE will be happy to be of help, if needed, in this area. Since the indicators have to evolve into a common set and be based on the definition of the Palermo Protocol it is imperative that all stakeholders are involved in a dialogue process to negotiate on the indicators.
  • AWARE would also like to point out that a clear process based on an approach of being non-judgmental and compassionate towards victims need to be effected. This process must also lead into witness protection progamme where it applies in a manner that maintains the confidentiality of the victim, his/her narrative and the whereabouts.
  • As this is a complex business AWARE would like to urge that there is transparency wherever possible, without putting into jeopardy the delicate nature of these investigations and the safety of the victims.

Enhance victim care services including medical care, counselling services and translation services

  • Only when judgment is suspended and a greater sensitization is developed to the ‘push’ factors that bring many to our shores in hope, will there be seamlessness in the care programmes that we put in place between the Government and NGOs.
  • AWARE asks for resource support for NGOs to help victims. We also ask that Government funding comes with reasonable and sensible KPIs that take into account time for reflection – a key component in the rehabilitation of traumatised victims.
  • We also ask for government funds to be instituted to support victims in allowances for everyday living as they stay in the shelter and to sustain their families back home, if they turn into witnesses.
  • We call upon the Government urgently to bring in specialists to train counsellors, social workers and specialist staff from a special team within the Government, to be trained in handing victims of trafficking to reduce as much as possible the re-entry into the trade as sex workers or to leave as embittered individuals when they have been so violated.
  • AWARE asserts that the Witness Protection programme ought to offer opportunities for re-skilling of victims into new trades which will become a cost to the Government. We urge that the Government see this as a humanitarian gesture and our contribution to the global effort to prevent trafficking.

Facilitate re-entry and return of victims to home countries



  • For effective re-entry to take place, Singapore needs to enter into bilateral arrangements with countries. NGOs can execute in facilitating the re-entry of a victim into the country of origin. This call for a comprehensive partnership is preventive as many victims re-enter the trade when their families are threatened over debts or when they are threatened again. An approach through Crime offices of two countries can at least increase the responsibility for law enforcement officers on the ground.
  • A follow-up on the ‘returnee’ should be done once every six months over a course of two years, to track the pattern of re-integration and to check re-entry into countries of destination.
  • We urge the Government to support NGOs that run longer term rehabilitation and re-integration programmes so that we, in Singapore, are known for re-building people’s lives as we also send them home.

Review adequacy of shelters for TIP victims



  • We need to have a dedicated shelter for each type of victim under the Palermo Protocol –  victims of sex trafficking,  victims who were exploited as forced labour and yet another, in due course, for organ trafficking. Dedicated shelters means supporting resources with specialist skills, approaches that are rights-based and processes that emphasise the dignity of the victim.
  • Adequate funding and resources are needed for the shelters, rehabilitation centres, crisis centres and also to fund regular workshops to deepen understanding on trafficking for service providers and Government officials.
  • We also ask that guidelines be drawn up at State level in the following areas:
    •  maintaining the shelters as secular spaces – important as it is a multi-faith foreign community;
    • maintaining a credible  staff-victim ratio for impact work;
    • maintaining a level of  proficiency needed to be employed in shelter work of this nature
  • As the Palermo Protocol is ratified, Singapore also needs to set up a dedicated Council that functions as a coordinating unit, a governance centre, a training centre and one that sets direction together with all the stakeholders on trafficking matters.

Review provisions of legal assistance

  • There must a pool of dedicated and well-trained lawyers who will take up this work and be compensated for it to a certain extent. This can happen only when lawyers are incentivized to come into this field as a regular pool. Currently the same very small pool of lawyers is stretched in handling cases on a pro bono basis and it is not too fair on them.
  • We assert that training programmes are needed for the lawyers and trafficking and legislative matters must become part of the curriculum at the law faculties of the two Universities – NUS and SMU.

Review access to work facilitation and training for victims



  • There is potential for organisations and individuals in Singapore to conduct training in various skills for many of the women and men who have been trafficked.
  • We urge that a database be formed with the help of NGOs to identify the kind of jobs that victims can return to and we conduct training at the rehabilitation facility to equip victims with those relevant skills.

Engage enforcement agencies of source countries for joint-investigation and sharing of information


  • Regular regional and international dialogues are crucial as a platform to share knowledge.

Engage foreign countries in their experiences to combat TIP



  • We ask that stakeholders who need to get involved in trafficking include the AICHR and ACWC reps as well as key personnel from the trade unions and private sector.
  • We also suggest that lessons can be drawn from drug trafficking is combated as a trans-border issue to structure dialogues on TIP.
  • It will be important to have at least some mission visit to other countries to see how they handle trafficking.

Formalise engagement of stakeholders including NGOs, relevant organisations and other elements of civil  society

  •  AWARE welcomes a formal arrangement with an open door policy to include relevant stakeholders who will surface. We suggest that this be done in a collaborative way with NGOs for the Terms of Reference to be drawn up.
  • AWARE agrees with the Government in widening this network to also include non-direct service providers.
  • It is important to set up a Council for TIP and have a mix of Government and NGOs personnel staff this unit.

Work with NGOs in identifying TIP cases and victims

  • We urge restraint on the part of law enforcement officers if the direct service provider makes a call that the victim is not ready for police investigations. We appreciate the timeliness in gathering data but we support the need to also have the victim make his/her own choices.
Partner NGOs on outreach initiatives


  • AWARE believes that outreach programmes done both by government and NGOs will make a bigger impact on public psyche rather than one run by just NGOs.
  • Public outreach needs to take place also at country of origin with the help of our diplomatic missions and we need the information in many languages.
  • TIP needs to become a core curriculum topic in many disciplines at the university.

Engage businesses on corporate social responsibility for the prevention of TIP in supply chains



  • This is the most challenging area and that it cannot be adequately addressed without direct Government influence.  Corporates need to get engaged in this area and most are involved in foreign labour issues. We believe that it can be done with a campaign highlighting the best practices of certain countries and to also create a shame list of companies that have shown bad behaviour.

Participate actively in meetings, discussions and initiatives on TIP in UN, ASEAN and other international/regional

  •  AWARE has placed TIP in its Shadow CEDAW report for two years. MARUAH has also raised this issue through its Universal Periodic Review. Other NGOs working on migrant workers have also participated in both processes. So it is inevitable that both the Government and the NGOs will have to participate actively in a few multi-lateral platforms both at the regional and international level. We ask that these proceedings be made transparent and that there are consultations pre- and post such meetings.

 

An opportunity for gender equality at home

AWARE sent this letter about mandatory days off for foreign domestic workers to the Straits Times Forum last week.

AWARE applauds the decision to implement mandatory rest days for foreign domestic workers here (“Weekly day off for maids a must from next year”, Straits Times, March 6).

Beyond the issue of rest days being a fundamental human right for all employees, as many NGOs have already pointed out, this is also a valuable opportunity to start changing the fact that the domestic sphere is still overwhelmingly women’s domain in Singapore.

The huge influx of female foreign domestic workers has further entrenched gendered expectations regarding household chores as well as the care of children and the elderly in families.

Women who hire domestic workers may be freed from some domestic and caregiving tasks, but nonetheless continue to be responsible for the management of domestic affairs in their households.

Within this gendered system, men have limited space to learn and partake in the labour and privilege of care.

Although a single day off a week will do little to alter the system as a whole, it will perhaps give men some opportunity to share in household work and caregiving. Gender egalitarianism should start at home; in this way, the mandatory day-off for domestic workers can mean not just a healthier work-life balance for them but also for their employers, both men and women.

The dignity offered to foreign domestic workers as workers is also necessary if we are to teach our children good values. Singaporean children who grow up with domestic workers as caregivers should know that the women who care for them are workers in the same ways their parents are workers – with rights to rest, leisure, and sociability. They should see that their availability as caregivers is not infinite and that there are boundaries that should be respected. Moreover, girls and boys should have opportunities to see that their mothers and fathers are equal partners in the family. We owe our children at least these lessons.

Assistant Professor Teo You Yenn
Board Member, AWARE

Happy International Women’s Day!

iwd-w300

There is much to celebrate this International Women’s Day (IWD).

After decades of lobbying by various NGOs, including AWARE, the government has finally introduced mandatory weekly rest days for foreign domestic workers.

The recent Budget 2012 announcement included several measures that will better provide for elderly Singaporeans, as well as lighten the financial burden for their caregivers.

Foreign-born spouses of Singapore citizens will soon be eligible for the Long Term Visit Pass Plus, which will help this socially vulnerable group in terms of employment prospects and healthcare subsidies.

And AWARE is proud to have played a pivotal role in the repeal of Section 157(d) of the Evidence Act, which made it possible to use a rape victim’s sexual history to impeach her moral character. We are also heartened that the government is sympathetic to the removal of marital rape immunity, as indicated during a recent Parliament debate.

But much more remains to be done. 

In line with IWD 2012’s theme of Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures, we hope in particular to reach out to young women and men in Singapore this year, and act as a catalyst in spurring their engagement in working towards gender equality in Singapore.

To celebrate IWD, we are launching a new Facebook campaign

 I AM AWARE

‎Through this initiative, we aim to raise awareness about gender-related issues that are close to our hearts.

These include: The role gender equality must play in order to improve Singapore’s fertility rate; the persistent gender wage gap; the objectification of women in Singapore’s media culture, and more.

Through the I AM AWARE website, you can create and share messages about gender equality with your Facebook friends, and also find out more about how AWARE works to improve the lives of women in Singapore with our support services, training programmes and research and advocacy initiatives.

We hope you will help us spread the word by visiting the I AM AWARE website and sharing your messages about gender equality with your Facebook friends.

On March 24, we will also be holding a Roundtable event to discuss whether Budget 2012 adequately protects and supports vulnerable women in Singapore. We hope you will join us and let us know your views on this year’s Budget priorities.

Thank you so much for your support, and have a wonderful International Women’s Day!

Parliament Primer: A strike against victim-blaming

The following is an excerpt of the debate on the repeal of Section 157(d) of the Evidence Act and the issue of marital rape during the February 14 sitting of Parliament.

K Shanmugam
Law Minister; Foreign Affairs Minister; Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC

Section 157(d) of the Evidence Act provides that the credit of the victim in a rape or attempted rape case may be impeached by showing that she is of generally immoral character.

This provision has existed since 1872. It is premised on antediluvian assumptions that a sexually active woman is less worthy of credit. It gives an opening for sexual assault victims to be
subjected to gratuitous, traumatising and insulting cross-examination.

The Office for Women’s Development under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports had given us feedback that this amendment ought to be made. Likewise, AWARE also gave us feedback that this provision ought to be deleted, by making this amendment. When the amendment is made, any cross-examination of a sexual assault victim must proceed on the basis of relevance. I thank both MCYS and AWARE for raising this issue with us and helping us on this particular issue.

Lina Chiam
People’s Party’s Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

I commend the repeal of section 157, paragraph (d), in which the sexual history of victims of sexual assault and rape may be used against them in court. This move is long overdue. Blaming a victim is not merely an outdated concept that only “chaste” women should be afforded legal protection, but it was simply bad law. A crime should be redressed simply because it is a crime.

 

 

Desmond Lee
Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC

I note that the transitional provision in Clause 23 retains this rule for cases that are started or pending before the date of commencement of the provision that abolishes the rule. As this is a rule of procedure, and an archaic one at that, would the Minister consider implementing this retrospectively to the date this Bill is enacted in Parliament as opposed to the date that the provision is brought into force in the future?

 

 

Vikram Nair
Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC

I would like to address the abolition of section 157(d) of the Evidence Act. I was quite heartened that support for this has been almost unanimous, especially from the men in the House, and I think that is quite right.

This is essentially the section that actually goes against the grain of allowing more evidence because the abolition of this section means that people who are accused of rape would not be allowed to impinge the character of the accuser. The reason why I think it is all right to allow less evidence in this particular section is because it protects the victim.

More often than not, victims of rape would be reluctant to come forward anyway, and having their entire previous sexual history brought up in court would definitely be an even greater deterrent. Removing this rule is quite timely and it is definitely a move in the right direction.

Since everyone here is unanimous that rape victims should be protected, I am flagging the abolition of Section 375(4) of the Penal Code hopefully for consideration by this House at a future date. I understand that that would probably come under the Ministry of Home Affairs rather than the Ministry of Law. I am just flagging that.

This section is commonly known as the marital immunity to rape. What that means is that if a man were to commit sexual violence – I would not use the word “rape” because it is not rape – on a woman without her consent, and they happen to be married, then that is an absolute defence.

There are some limitations now. The law has been cut back so that if the couple are separated, that is no longer a defence. But the fundamental rule is still there.

I think the main reason for abolishing this rule is that violence against women, non-consensual sex, is really the same, whether or not that happens in marriage or outside marriage. By abolishing the rule though, what we actually do is we basically say that violent sex against women, even in the confines of marriage, is unacceptable.

I understand that this is a controversial issue. One of my good friends was actually behind the No To Rape campaign, which was a campaign against the section, and I was myself a little bit sceptical at first. So let me maybe deal with some of the arguments that the sceptics of abolishing the rule might bring up.

I think the chief concern they could have is that there might be an increase in the number of false cries of rape, that when a marriage goes wrong, the woman might make a false allegation of rape. But I think the answer to this is that false allegations of rape are punishable anyway, and if that is the real mischief we are concerned about, then perhaps we should either enforce those rules tighter or perhaps make stricter rules against that.

But that is not a reason to not offer protection to women who are married. I think it is possible to deal with that particular concern.

I understand that this is a controversial issue and it is not before the House today, and there are probably other arguments as well, including what the duties of parties in a marriage are. But I will just leave that on people’s minds for a future date.

K Shanmugam

On credit of rape victims in Section 157(d): I think that is generally welcomed by all Members. What would happen as a result of the amendment is not that previous history would automatically be inadmissible but rather it is left to the courts to decide when it should be admissible. That depends on issue of relevance. It is just that we should not legislatively provide that certain issues will be relevant.

On the issue of marital rape: I think that issue falls outside the purview of the present rule, as Mr Nair himself recognised. That has got to be dealt with by the Ministry of Home Affairs. What I can say is when I was wearing that hat, the NGO No To Rape saw me as well. I found many of the arguments they put forward worth looking into. They made good points. I will certainly pass over Mr Nair’s comments to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Read the debate in full here.

China’s National Population And Family Planning Commission visits AWARE

 

By Foo Jiayu

On 24 February, AWARE welcomed a delegation of 16 officials from China’s National Population And Family Planning Commission (国家计划生育委员会) at the AWARE Centre.

Headed by Deputy Director-General of the General Office Mr Yao Hongwen, the delegation consisted of officials from various provinces, including Guangdong and Guizhou. The main purpose of their visit to Singapore was to learn ways to control China’s population size.

Speaking in Mandarin, AWARE President Nicole Tan gave a short presentation on AWARE, focusing in particular on our Sexual Assault Befrienders Service (SABS), the AWARE Training Institute, and our Research and Advocacy work.

Members of the delegation asked questions about domestic violence, gender discrimination, as well as the issue of singles conceiving through artificial means.

In 2003,  the Chinese government banned IVF for single women. An official asked if people in Singapore were entitled to free in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive. Nicole replied that IVF is not free in Singapore, not even for married couples. Furthermore, single mothers face significant discrimination in Singapore – their children would be last in the balloting for seats in primary schools, for instance.

Another official remarked thatInterestingly, the officials also seemed particularly concerned about Singapore allowing polygamy under the Syariah law. This was mentioned in Nicole’s answer to a question of whether there were any particular differences between the rights of women and men in Singapore.

Nicole explained that this law originated during the British colonial period as a retainment of traditional Muslim practices. Further, she understood that approval is needed for a second wife, and this approval is difficult to obtain. The officials were of the view, however, that polygamy should be eradicated as Singapore is essentially a secular country.

Nicole also stressed the importance of the media in encouraging women to seek help. Taking the example of domestic violence, Nicole remarked that when media reports about domestic violence increase, calls by battered women and/or friends of these women to AWARE’s Helpline also increased.

Similarly, the media is an influential tool that should be used to clearly highlight that behaviour like sexual abuse and sexual harassment is deplorable and unacceptable.

Prior to visiting AWARE, the delegation also visited the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association, Fei Yue Community Services, the Housing Development Board (HDB), and various universities.

Why isn’’t there more research about women’s experiences in Singapore?

Writer and independent scholar Yu-Mei Balasingamchow explored this question and more during the Feb 16 Roundtable Discussion held at the AWARE Centre.

By Veesha Chohan

At our most recent Roundtable session, Yu-Mei explains the genesis of her project, Troublesome Women, a book consisting of 24 academic essays on women, gender and sexuality in Malaysia and Singapore that she co-edited with academic Adeline Koh.

They initiated this project in 2009 because they believed that the experiences of Malaysia and Singapore could provide deeper insights about the crossroads between gender, modernity and globalisation.

The book features contributors from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In terms of content, this is a broad interdisciplinary project that does not just focus on gender studies alone, but crosses over into law, history, political science, economics and anthropology.

They thought it was a good idea to start an inter-disciplinary project that put women at the centre, because the majority of academic writings focus only on one aspect of women’s issues, and thus fail to offer a broader perspective on women’s experiences within the context of a fast-paced and ever-changing global environment.

Yu-Mei explained that the title Troublesome Women helps to capture the reader’s attention, while also tapping into the idea that women are disturbing the status quo and disrupting social expectations about gender roles.

So why isn’t there more research about women’s experiences in Singapore? Yu-Mei believed that this might be because women’s studies as a discipline is marginalised in Singapore, almost pushed aside as a ‘ghetto’ discipline that does not offer any practical skills.

Furthermore, women in Singapore are thought to ‘have it good’, in a modern and prosperous country with high standards of living. They do not necessarily have an ‘oppressed narrative’ like women in some developing countries. Yu-Mei believes that such perceptions exist because of a lack of political consciousness in Singapore, and it is because of this lack of consciousness that people fall back on assumptions about what a woman’s role in society should be.

Yu-Mei quoted historian Joan Scott, the author of Gender: A Useful Category Of Historical Analysis. In her book, Scott focused on how gender can give meaning to the organisation and perception of historical knowledge, and stated that we should understand gender as an analytical category that signifies power between groups of people. How, why and what processes help to construct distinct masculine and feminine identities is at the core of Yu-Mei and Adeline’s project, which asks questions about how gender can be used to conceive modernisation and global processes in Singapore and Malaysia.

The Troublesome Women book is split into three sections: a history of feminism and women’s movements; gender and the state; and gender and representation.

Two of the essays in the book deal with the AWARE saga in 2009, exploring the media spectacle that ensued as well as whether the discussion about the saga really addressed any real hard-pressing questions about gender issues in Singapore.

Yu-Mei also highlighted another essay from the book, which focused on girls’ schools in Singapore during the pre-war period. This essay reveals the attempt to introduce female education as a progressive force. In the mid-19th century, Western European and American missionaries introduced the Chinese community in Singapore to a new concept: the formal education and training of females in order to preserve and propagate their virtue. Influenced by social and intellectual movements in China, non-Straits Chinese and recent immigrants were determined to improve the minds and actions of girls in order to create a more modernised society. All-girls secondary schools thus flourished in the early 20th century because of these parents’ conservative attitude towards placing their daughters in co-educational secondary schools.

Ultimately, the editors of Troublesome Women hope to create a network of scholars interested in using gender as a category of analysis, in order to facilitate ongoing research about women’s experiences in a Singapore facing an influx of new immigrants and ongoing economic development.

Find out more about AWARE’s monthly Roundtable Discussions here.

Sugar & Spice: Women talk about girlhood

In conjunction with International Women’s Day 2012, Etiquette and The Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE) come together to present Sugar & Spice, a reading of poetry and prose by women writers.

Inspired by Eve Ensler’s TEDTalk “Embrace Your Inner Girl”, and in line with the international theme for IWD2012 “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”, Sugar & Spice investigates ideas of girlhood, with writers reading original pieces as well as pieces written by women they admire.

Curated by Zarina Muhammad and Tania De Rozario, the line-up includes writers such as Ovidia Yu, Dana Lam, Nurul H and Shubigi Rao. Also on the menu is a video by Zarina Muhammad and Lisa Li, documenting interviews of women above 50, addressing issues central to their childhoods.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: March 8, 2012, Thursday
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: The Pigeonhole (52 & 53 Duxton Road)

Featured Participants

Tania De Rozario is an award-winning artist and writer whose work has been exhibited in Singapore, Amsterdam, and San Francisco. She is a 2011 Hedgebrook alumna and 2011 winner of the SPH-NAC Golden Point Award for English Poetry. Co-founder/curator of Etiquette, Singapore’s first annual multidisciplinary arts event focusing on feminist issues, she has been published in literary journals in Singapore and abroad, and exhibits regularly. When she is not talking about herself in third person, she freelances as a writer for TimeOut Singapore’s Art & Design section, teaches drawing at the Substation and tutors Contemporary Contextual Studies part-time at LASALLE College of the Arts.

NuruL H. is in the midst of peeling the psychotic postgraduate from her pensive photographer persona. She illuminates aspects of the liminal, intangible, and the unvoiced as mouths and methods of telling stories about the everyday. Each piece is a biographical account of something or someone. As the power of the unvoiced lies in its visual presence, so it is here at which this textual bio ends. Nurul is curator at the NUS Musuem as well as a photographer.

Judith Huang is a writer, artist, translator and editor based in Australia as well as Singapore, where she serves as Editor for Ethos Books. A three-time recipient of the Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award (UK), she has beeen published in journals and anthologies at home and abroad, and has been invited to various reading series and conferences. Her essays have been published in China Daily and Lianhe Zaobao. A budding illustrator, she received the Sydney M. Williams Grant for the Visual Arts (USA) in 2008 and is working on illustrations for an upcoming poetry book, as well as her first novel. She graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2010, where she was elected to the Signet Society of Arts and Letters for contributions to the arts.

Dana Lam is a published author and artist and currently lectures part-time at LASALLE College of the Arts. She has a BA from the then University of Singapore and an MA (Fine Arts) from LASALLE Open University. She has worked as a reporter at The Straits Times and as a book editor and project coordinator. Her most recent work include She Shapes A Nation, a documentary which captures the nuances of women’s lives and women’s choices in five decades of nation making. She also the author of the book Days of Being Wild. Dana has an abiding interest in “what goes unsaid”, compelled by the notion of culpability.

Lisa Li is a writer and teacher, with a special interest in education, history, human rights and community development. She strongly believes that mature public discourse is best nurtured through intellectual freedom & critical thinking in the classroom, the media and society at large.

Zarina Muhammad is a curator, writer, art historian, and educator, whose work and research have been largely defined by the innumerable ‘Hyenas in Petticoats’ in text and history. She is the co-founder of Etiquette and is also the curator responsible for Me & My Friend, a collaborative visual arts showcase produced by creative collective TickleArt and human rights group MARUAH to commemorate International Disability Day and International Human Rights Day in 2009. Her writing has appeared in Article: The Singapore Biennale Review (published by The Substation & AICA Singapore ), The Praxis Press, No Other City: The Ethos Anthology of Urban Poetry and Preoccupations: Things Artists Do Anyway. Currently, Zarina is working on a writing project on women, myth, and magic.

Shubigi Rao is a visual artist and lectures part-time at LASALLE College of the Arts, where she obtained her MFA and BFA. Her awards include the Winston Oh Travelogue and twice the Award for Excellence in the Arts for outstanding student of the year. Her notable exhibitions include The Tuning Fork of the Mind, commissioned for the second Singapore Biennale (2008). Her work involves complex layered installations comprising handmade books, text, drawings, etchings, pseudo-science machinery, and archives. She has been exhibited and collected in Singapore, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and India.

Ovidia Yu is an award-winning novelist, short-story writer and playwright. She is the recipient of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Singapore Foundation Culture Award (1996), the National Arts Council (NAC) Young Artist Award (1996) and the Singapore Youth Award (1997). Her plays have been peformed locally and also in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Glasgow and Edinburgh. She has worked with Action Theatre, TheatreWorks, The Necessary Stage, Arts and Acts, Music & Movement, WOW International and Wayang-Wayang Theatre Company

About the venue
The Pigeonhole is a book cafe and dynamic arts space promoting local NGOs, music, film, performance and art. It believes in amazing coffee, sourcing it from Highlander Coffee, freshly ground, every day. Along with coffee, it offers a selection of luxurious desserts, if you’re feeling indulgent. If you’re in the mood for a tipple, it has a globetrotting range of Scottish & Japanese whisky, Australian & Chilean wine, English cider & European lagers. It also maintains an exciting arts programme (film screenings, arts exhibitions, readings, recitals) and collects second-hand and rare books, having handcarried some from India, Thailand, Malaysia and further afield. Find out more at thepigeonhole.com.sg.

About Etiquette
Etiquette, an ongoing event in its third year, is a multidisciplinary showcase of art created by and about women. It looks to platform gender as a subject of discourse, and art as a tool to provide both artists and audiences with a safe space in which conversations about women’s issues can take place.

“Etiquette” as a practice, revolves largely around codes of conduct that enable an individual to negotiate a social space without conflict and on a larger scale, a community or society to carry
on, as is. Assuming the “natural” roles of our designated gender unquestioningly is a form of etiquette that perpetuates existing power structures which discriminate against women in almost all spheres of personal and professional life.

For this reason, the rules of gendered etiquette need to change. We believe this starts with conversation. And we believe that art starts great conversation. Visit us at www.etiquette.sg.

AWARE’s response to Budget 2012

pie chart

AWARE welcomes the 2012 Budget’s focus on building a stronger Singapore by ensuring that we are an inclusive society. We are glad that special attention is being paid to the needs of three socially vulnerable groups: older Singaporeans, Singaporeans with disabilities and lower-income Singaporeans. We look forward to getting more details about the various measures in the days ahead.

Measures to help older workers

The plan to help older workers by raising CPF rates and offering more incentives for employers to hire older workers is good. But these measures only benefit people who are in, or can return to, the workforce.

Many older women are not in the workforce. In 2011, only 55.1 per cent of women aged 55 to 59 were in the workforce, compared to 85.7 per cent of men in the same age group. Many of these women left employment to become homemakers and it will not be easy for them to find jobs in the formal sector.

We urge the government to look into the needs of these women.

Why should MediShield coverage stop at 90?

We welcome the extension of MediShield coverage from age 85 to 90. But why are we stopping at 90?

As Minister Shanmugaratnam stated himself, “more Singaporeans are living to 90 and beyond”. We believe Medishield should offer lifetime coverage.

Eldercare

Families who are coping with the financial burden of caring for an elderly family member will certainly welcome the various initiatives that will help to lighten their load.

The minister announced a $120 monthly grant for families who hire a foreign domestic helper to look after elderly family members.

However, not all elderly Singaporeans are cared for by their immediate family. Some may live alone, while others may be cared for by members of their extended families, or even by friends. We trust that the $120 grant will be extended to such cases.

In addition, we note that most of the benefits are in the form of subsidies to help pay for the cost of home care or community based services. However, there is no financial support for caregivers (usually women) who take time off work (fully or partially) to take care of their elder folk. We believe that many lower income women may choose to care for the elderly themselves as they are not able to afford to pay for the care services, even with the subsidy. This is a gap which should be addressed.

Employees with disabilities

We welcome the extension of the Special Employment Credit scheme to employers who hire graduates of Special Education (SPED) schools. But what about people with disabilities who are not SPED graduates?

Measures for low-income Singaporeans

We are heartened by the extension of support for children of lower-income families. We must ensure that they break out of the poverty trap.

Help needs to be extended to other low-income groups. For example, low-income
singles, single mothers, and couples without children. Such people should not be left on the margins of society just because they do not fit the norm of the conventional family.

A truly inclusive society must include everyone.

Read AWARE’s Budget submission here.

Calling for an inclusive 2012 Singapore Budget

The needs of vulnerable groups like older women and those in financial distress, in particular, should be addressed – No one should fall through the cracks.

In response to the government’s call for public feedback for the Singapore Budget 2012, AWARE has submitted a position paper with recommendations for an inclusive budget to address women’s priority issues. This is the second year in which we are submitting such feedback.

AWARE calls for an inclusive 2012 budget to support a caring society. To ensure a truly inclusive society, women’s issues must be addressed fully as national issues. AWARE thus calls for a budget that adequately meets the needs of all women in Singapore, regardless of age, marital status and disabilities. This is aligned with the State’s commitment and obligation to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Most caregivers in Singapore are women, who often experience adverse results for professional advancement and long-term financial security, due to lack of support. The Budget needs to reflect the state’s commitment to supporting women in both the workplace and at home.

AWARE also calls for a national budget that cares for vulnerable groups, particularly older women, persons with disabilities and those in financial distress. No one should fall through the cracks.

Our policy recommendations include:

Comprehensive healthcare for an ageing population

  • All Singaporeans over 85 should be provided with free Medishield coverage for life, and Medisave accounts should be periodically topped up from budgetary surpluses, in proportion to the age of the recipient as well as household income.
  •    It should be mandated that a specified percentage of a husband’s CPF be deposited into his stay-at-home wife’s Medisave account. Or, incentives (e.g. tax reliefs or additional top ups) should be provided for husbands to top up their stay-at-home wives’ Medisave account.
  • Subsidies should be given for the long-term care of elderly family members.

Comprehensive support of lower-income and vulnerable groups

  • Public spending on social programmes should be restored to the pre-1990 level of around 20% of GDP and should gradually increase in the next few years to around 25% as the population ages.
  • Eligibility criteria for ComCare and Public Assistance should be revised upwards to include household incomes of more than $1,500 per month up to the 30th percentile.
  • Public assistance and other forms of social support currently available to Singaporean women should be made available to the foreign wives of Singaporeans when they are in distress, as they are without any other form of social safety net.

Widened access to subsidies for infant care and childcare

  • Access to childcare subsidies, motherhood benefits and housing benefits should be widened to include all mothers, without discrimination against unwed mothers or stay-at-home mothers.
  • Paid paternity leave of two weeks should be made mandatory.
  • One month of the current four-month maternity leave should be converted to parental leave to be taken by either spouse.

Enabling persons with disabilities to be equal members of an inclusive society

  • Free or subsidized medical benefits for persons with disability, including financial support for the cost of rehabilitation, medicines, treatment and health insurance.
  • Measures to protect women and girls with disabilities from all forms of violence at home and in the community should be promoted in all institutions, services and programmes.

 

Publicly available database of vulnerable groups in Singapore society

  • Research resources with scientific support should be mobilised to collect data of vulnerable groups in Singapore, so as to provide data that is sufficiently detailed, consistent, regularly updated and disaggregated by sex, age and citizenship.

Read the full text of AWARE’s submission here.