2014 Archives

Singapore can do more to support family life

By Jolene Tan, Programmes and Communications Senior Manager, Association of Women for Action and Research

Our society should rightly be pleased with its high ranking in the Save the Children report on motherhood (“Singapore best place in Asia to be a mum”; last Wednesday).

Singapore’s low rates of maternal and child mortality, high gross national income per capita and widespread availability of formal education are significant achievements.

However, it is useful to have a sense of perspective about how the report is compiled – and therefore what it misses – so that we do not rest on our laurels, but continue to improve our policies and practices.

The sub-title of the report is “Saving mothers and children in humanitarian crises”. Accordingly, it focuses on discussions of war and other violent conflicts, as well as natural disasters.

As a stable, wealthy country with well-developed infrastructure, facing little threat of natural disaster, Singapore naturally does well on the broad and fundamental measures on which the ranking is based.

However, the report does not take into account the specific challenges that parents often face in the advanced industrialised economies that are more comparable to Singapore than countries which experience difficulty with humanitarian emergencies.

For example, it does not address the parent-friendliness of workplaces. Ireland and Britain are ranked lower than Singapore, despite their much more generous legislated parental leave entitlements, available regardless of marital status or nationality.

A recent survey showed that 71 per cent of human resource managers in large firms thought work-life balance held women back in the workplace in Singapore. None attributed to women a lack of ambition.

The report also gives no consideration to the threat of employment termination for pregnancy, parenthood or taking parental leave.

A mother who returns from maternity leave to find her position terminated has little recourse in Singapore. By contrast, in Britain and Ireland, she could invoke legal protection, such as unfair dismissal claims.

Likewise, the report overlooks access to public housing – a particular difficulty for unmarried mothers in Singapore.

Nor is attention paid to the unequal sharing of parental caregiving, which greatly affects mothers’ quality of life.

In a 2012 Association of Women for Action and Research survey, 58 per cent of male respondents aged 18 to 29 felt that women should have primary responsibility for chores and childcare, compared with 38 per cent of female respondents.

Singapore’s level of development is a cause for celebration but not for complacency. We still have something to learn from other countries in supporting access to economic well-being and family life.

This letter was first published in the Straits Times on 12 May 2014.

How to help victims in abusive relationships

By Kokila Annamalai (Ms), Campaign Coordinator, We Can! End All Violence Against Women

We welcome Pave senior social worker Adisti Jalani’s letter (“Those in abusive relationships should get help early”; Monday).

Research and the experience of professionals such as counsellors show that the victims in abusive relationships are more likely to confide in their informal networks first, rather than an authority.

Consequently, the responses of their friends and families often determine whether they seek help. If they encounter blame, judgment or a lack of support, they are more likely to stay in the relationship.

Bystanders have a significant role in preventing the feelings of “helplessness and hopelessness” that Ms Adisti identified as a barrier to leaving abusive relationships. Friends, family members, colleagues and others can help by listening to the victims without judgment, letting them know they have support, discussing their options and asking them what they would like to do. We should not impose decisions on them, but allow them to make their own choices.

We should remove the social pressure on victims to stay in relationships – including marriages – at the expense of their safety. Divorce should not be stigmatised; it can be an important means of self-protection.

In a 2012 Aware survey, only two in 10 people here believe there are no circumstances when women should stay in violent relationships. Many still find reasons to tolerate violence, making it harder for victims to seek help or exit the violent situation.

It is also important for family members and friends to recognise the different forms of abuse. Psychological and verbal violence, as well as financial and social control, can be just as damaging as physical violence, if not worse.

If we know someone abusive, we can express disapproval of their behaviour and let them know there are no excuses for violence. We can discuss their concerns with them and encourage them to seek help too.

Social attitudes must change if victims are to be given the supportive and welcoming environment that they need in order to speak up about abuse.

This letter was first published in the Straits Times on 10 May 2014.

Marriage, children evidence of one’s stake in S’pore

By Vivienne Wee, Research and Advocacy Director, Association of Women for Action and Research

In his commentary “Are you ‘of this place’?” (May 5), Dr Jeremy Lim made the important point that belonging derives from one’s commitment and contributions to the society of which one is a member.

It is indeed questionable whether possessing academic qualifications, professional credentials and economic assets should be the primary measure of one’s stake in Singapore. Having a stake in a nation means staking something of personal value in a collective enterprise.

In examining how would-be citizens have invested in their dreams of the future, we could ask, as Dr Lim suggests, “upfront for a personal statement, evidence of contribution or commitment to the Singapore community in non-economic ways and even supporting letters from long-standing Singaporeans”.

Marriage to a Singaporean and/or giving birth to Singaporean children should be among the most relevant evidence of personal commitment to Singapore. Yet non-Singaporean spouses of Singaporeans, who are often also parents of Singaporean children, are routinely denied permanent residence and citizenship. This happens particularly when the Singaporean spouse’s income and education are deemed insufficiently attractive.

Low-income Singaporeans deserve an equal right to enjoy a stable, happy family life. They should not be discriminated against when they marry non-Singaporeans.

Most non-Singaporean spouses disadvantaged in this way are women. The Association of Women for Action and Research urges that their commitment and contribution be fully acknowledged through permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship.

The Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus given to some is no substitute for permanent residence and citizenship as a foundation for a stable marriage and family, as they can still be deported and, thus, separated from their children if pass renewals are not approved.

As their immigration position is precarious, they face additional vulnerability to domestic abuse. They may hesitate to take action against violent partners as they need spousal sponsorship to renew their visa and, therefore, continue to have access to their children.

An inclusive nation should provide equal rights to all citizens, not prioritise high-net-worth individuals over others, including high-commitment citizens-to-be who have forged deep ties to this society.

This letter was first published in TODAY on 10 May, 2014.

Have you collected your AWARE Membership Card?

If you have two years or more left on your AWARE membership, you are entitled to one of our fabulous “Card-Carrying Feminist” AWARE membership cards. If you have less than two years left, renew your membership to today to qualify!

New members signing up for two years or more are also entitled to receiving one of these awesome cards!

Not merely a card that announces to the world what a fabulous feminist you are, it’s also a card that scores you some fantastic discounts with our merchant partners listed below:

Books Actually will be offering a 20% storewide discount (with the exception of magazines and items on promotion) to all AWARE card-carrying members.

The Garden Slug will be offering the following:

Weekday Pasta Set Meal (Mon-Thu)
-Order any Pasta dish from the menu, and
-Enjoy 50% off Soup of the Day + Any Iced or Hot Tea Beverage

Weekend All-day Breakfast Set Meal (Fri-Sun)
-Order any Breakfast dish from the menu, and
-Enjoy Hot Black Coffee or Hot Tea @ only $1

Dough Empire will be offering a 15% discount off the total bill of every purchase from doughempire.com. Please enter the code “AWARE15PC” after providing your credit card details for payment. The sum will then be reduced after that to show the discount. As an additional offer, orders totalling $200 and above enjoy free delivery.

Artistry Cafe will be offering a 10% discount off the total bill, with a minimum spending of $20 in a single receipt.

Please email Frederique at volunteering@aware.org.sg to make an appointment for your card collection. Please fill in “CCF Card – (Your Name)” as the title of the email.

For more information on how to become a member click here. If you are a member 65 years and older you are eligible for your own CCF membership card for FREE!

Tweak Women’s Charter for gender equality

WE WELCOME Justice Choo Han Teck’s suggestion to review the Women’s Charter, including its provisions on maintenance, to better reflect the values of gender equality (“Maintenance not an unalloyed right of women: Judge”).

Spousal maintenance is necessary because domestic labour remains unequally shared.

In an Aware survey last year, 58 per cent of male respondents stated that women should take care of household chores and caregiving, compared with 47 per cent of female respondents.

Manpower Ministry statistics show that 43.3 per cent of economically inactive women cited housework, childcare and other caregiving duties as the main reasons for not looking for a job, compared with only 1.8 per cent of men.

Clearly, it is still much more common for women than men to make economic sacrifices to take care of their spouse’s domestic needs and responsibilities. This boosts the husband’s career prospects and earning power, long after any divorce.

This arrangement also has a negative impact on the long-term employability and financial position of economically inactive spouses, especially their levels of Central Provident Fund savings.

Maintenance orders are just and appropriate in such situations. But they should be made on the basis of fairness, not gender. And they should likewise be available where it would be equitable for a woman to support her former spouse financially – a position championed by then Nominated MP Kanwaljit Soin as early as 1996.

Aware has long argued that much of the Women’s Charter should be rethought, including taking into account an increasing number of transnational marriages.

In 2010, we suggested numerous reforms, including the establishment of a central body to administer maintenance payments, a reduction in the time bars to divorce, and shorter timeframes for divorce in cases of desertion or separation.

We have also suggested that the statute be renamed Family Charter to more accurately reflect its content, as its provisions cover many aspects of marital and family law.

The existing name can give the misleading impression that it protects only women against men, when in fact most of its regime – including protection against family violence – rightly applies on a gender-neutral basis.

By Jolene Tan (Ms), Programmes and Communications Senior Manager, Aware (Association of Women for Action and Research)

This letter was first published in the Straits Times Forum on 26 April 2014.

More extensive, universal parental leave needed

MS JESSICA Jaganathan’s letter is timely (“Offer unpaid extension of maternity leave”).

A society that recognises the value of family life should structure employment so as to enable everyone, regardless of gender, to fully enjoy active parenthood alongside participation in the workforce. This aspiration underpins existing statutory entitlements to maternity and paternity leave, but how far has it been realised?

Women in Singapore have up to 16 weeks of statutory maternity leave, and men have only one week of paternity leave (though a couple can transfer one week of the mother’s entitlement to the father). But this does not apply to all. For instance, unmarried mothers or mothers of non-Singaporean children have only 12 weeks’ leave, though their care responsibilities are just as significant.

Ms Jaganathan noted that the 16-week period, of which only 12 are after birth, sits uneasily with the World Health Organisation’s recommendation that infants be breastfed exclusively for six months.

Indeed, the International Labour Organisation recommends that national laws provide for at least 18 weeks of maternity leave – a standard met by 20 per cent of countries.

Some even exceed this. Women in Ireland, for instance, enjoy six months of maternity leave and a further 16 weeks of unpaid leave. In Britain, parents divide a total of 52 weeks of leave between themselves – an arrangement that better suits individual families’ needs than pushing all into a single mould of gendered caregiving.

Of course, these rights are effective only if they are respected.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam spoke of the need for cultural transformation – for society to change how it views workers – to improve productivity (“S’pore firms ‘need mindset change’ “; March 3).

This applies to parental leave too. It imposes short-term costs on employers but, ultimately, organisations benefit from the higher morale and productivity of more fulfilled workers with happier family lives.

Moreover, businesses do not operate in a vacuum; they benefit from societal support and should also bear social responsibilities. We hear repeatedly that the economy requires more births – so why shouldn’t those who profit most from economic growth help support the conditions that enable it?

If Singapore truly wishes to support families, it should consider offering more extensive, and universal, parental leave. The Government should also consider stronger measures to prevent employers from discriminating against women, or any parent, because they are entitled to such leave.

By Jolene Tan (Ms), Programmes and Communications Senior Manager, Aware (Association of Women for Action and Research)

This letter was first published in the Straits Times Forum on 22 April 2014.

AWARE’s 29th AGM – 26 April 2014

AWARE was very pleased to hold our 29th Annual General Meeting on 26 April at the AWARE Centre.

Forty-five members came together to hear about AWARE’s work and achievements in 2013 as well as our plans for the future.

President Winifred Loh began the meeting with a video of significant events in 2013, then shared AWARE’s strategic plan for the next five years. Following that, the Research & Advocacy, Support Services, and Programmes & Communications departments as well as the We Can! campaign shared some of their most remarkable work in 2013. Members and staff engaged in lively discussion about past project and future directions.

This being an election year, a new Board was elected. Winifred Loh retained her position as President, and will lead a Board of both old and new faces. The members of the new Board are:

President: Winifred Loh
1st Vice-President: Faeza Sirajudin
2nd Vice-President: Tan Joo Hymn
Honorary Treasurer: Zeng Li Hui
Vice-Treasurer: Stephanie Chu
Honorary Secretary: Teh Hooi Ling
Board Members: Teo You Yenn, Jasmine Ng Kin Kia, Deeksha Vasundhra, Margaret Thomas

The new Board will serve a two-year term. We are confident that they will take AWARE to new heights.

Civil society responds to the proposed anti-trafficking bill

Dear Member of Parliament Mr Christopher De Souza and the Inter-Agency Taskforce on Trafficking-in-Persons,

Thank you for hosting the public consultation sessions on the proposed “Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill” between 19 March 2014 and 15 April 2014. Many representatives from civil society attended the introductory session on 19 March 2014, as well as other sessions, through which we learnt more about the proposed Bill from the handouts and ensuing discussions. As part of the public consultation process, we would like to reiterate our views and concerns that we have expressed at these sessions, as inputs for the Bill that is being drafted.

At the outset, we are glad that the State has decided to address the issue of human trafficking in Singapore. It was encouraging to see that the proposed Bill plans to adopt the broad and comprehensive UN Trafficking-in-Persons (TIP) Protocol, which defines trafficking in persons as occurring across the migration process and being undertaken by means of “threat…of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability… for the purpose of exploitation.” We understand that the proposed Bill will cover different forms of trafficking, including sex trafficking, labour trafficking and child trafficking. However, as civil society organisations which work closely with affected individuals, we are disappointed by the serious limitations of the proposed Bill, which does not adequately address issues of deceptive recruitment, loss of liberty and debt bondage.

Labour Trafficking

With regards to labour trafficking, the Bill intends to focus on “forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude.” Given this context, many of us at the public consultation sessions raised our concern about current exploitative practices, such as working and living conditions, wages, restriction of movement, and so on. In response, we were told that the proposed Bill would not take into account such indicators because migrant workers are supposedly covered under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).

However, many of us who have worked extensively on migrant worker issues have come across several cases whereby the EFMA has been unable to deliver justice to workers. As examples, the SGD 5,000 security bond, the lack of freedom to change employers, poor protection against long working hours, lack of wage protection, poor enforcement of the Passports Act and the ability of employers to repatriate workers, are all not addressed by existing legislation, thereby encouraging trafficked and forced labour. Unless these issues are considered, the proposed Bill will not be comprehensive in its protection, as it is now contingent on an inadequate EFMA to cover gaps.

Sex Trafficking

We understand that according to the proposed Bill, consent of the victim will not be an impediment to enforcement, and those who are deceptively recruited into working in the sex industry shall be protected. However, we are concerned about the process of victim identification.

At the 19 March, 2014 consultation session, Mr De Souza said, based on his past experience as a lawyer dealing with similar cases, that it is difficult to gather evidence to prove whether or not a woman who is caught in a raid is a victim of sex trafficking. In such cases, he elaborated, officials will have to make a call ‘on the ground.’ We are worried about this process because the decision of who is a victim is left to the subjective judgement of individual officers. If there are no criteria to determine a victim of trafficking, how will the proposed Bill serve as protection?

‘Victim-Centric Approach’

This leads to another key aspect of the Bill which was discussed –the incorporation of a ‘victim-centric approach’. Interestingly, what is proposed as victim protection — namely the provision of temporary shelter and video-conferenced trials– are framed as ‘a key pillar of Singapore’s work to combat trafficking in persons.’ However, at the 19 March, 2014 consultation session, a taskforce panellist from the Ministry of Home Affairs explained that these measures exist to enable the victim to play a crucial role in assisting authorities to get to the perpetrators. This implies that the sole purpose of legalizing certain protection measures is to ensure that the victim can serve the interests of the State, as opposed to ensuring his/her well-being in and of itself.

When some of us at the session suggested other measures to assist the victim, such as finding alternative employment or arranging a temporary stay visa, the panellists did not commit to addressing any of these. Not responding to any of these needs will leave the victim vulnerable to further victimisation through repatriation or deportation.

Thus, while we can appreciate that the proposed Bill attempts to recognize the nature of human trafficking, we feel that it is inadequate in providing protection and support to marginalised migrant workers in certain industries. We would therefore like the draft Bill to consider:

Adequate protection for marginalised migrant workers in all industries, including but not limited to fishing, construction, service, sex, entertainment and domestic work, several of whom face exploitation as a result of long working hours, poor conditions, low pay and debt bondage
Specific mechanisms to ensure that victims of sex trafficking are properly identified and protected
A supportive victim-centred approach that deters further victimisation

As we would not like for Singapore to be an economy built on the exploitation of migrant labour, a solid anti-trafficking legislation that acknowledges all the characteristics of trafficking is crucial to protecting the vulnerable.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Corinna Lim, Executive Director, AWARE

On behalf of:

Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)
Jolovan Wham, Executive Director, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME)
Vanessa Ho, Project Coordinator, Project X
Vincent Wijeysingha, Workfair Singapore
Vincent Law, Civil Society Activist
Timothy Cheong, Civil Society Activist

Talks: Family Law and You: Divorce Process and Procedure

Join this talk at the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations to understand divorce processes in Singapore.

The divorce process in Singapore comprises of 2 stages. At the first stage, the courts will dissolve the marriage. At the second stage, the courts will turn their attention to all other matters relating to the divorce. This talk focuses on the 2nd stage of the divorce process.

These matters in the second stage, the ancillary matters”, include: – (i) Custody, care and control and access of children; (ii) Maintenance of children; (iii) Division of matrimonial assets and the matrimonial home; and (iv) Maintenance of Wife (commonly known as Alimony).

Event details:
Date: 23 April, Wednesday
Time: 7 – 8.30pm
Venue: Training rooms 2 and 3, SCWO Centre, 96 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187967
Fee: Complimentary
Click here to register!

Topics that will be covered include:

Custody, care and control and access

Joint custody or sole custody?
What are access orders?
What will the Court take into account when making custody, care and control and access orders?

Maintenance (Childs maintenance)

Who has a duty to maintain the child?
What will the Court take into account when assessing maintenance?
How long do I have to maintain my child?
Can I withhold access if my spouse has refused, neglected and failed to pay maintenance for the child?

About the Speaker

Tan Poh Lin, Partner, Matrimonial & Family Law, Harry Elias Partnership LLP, has over seven years of experience in areas of matrimonial and family law.

Her clients seek her out for advice on issues such as contentious divorces, child custody, division of matrimonial assets and family violence. In her years of practice, she has represented various families, including both locals and expatriates, in both the Family Court and the High Court of Singapore.

As a member of the Executive Committee of the Singapore Association of Women Lawyers (SAWL), Poh Lin has represented SAWL actively by appearing on FM 93.8 on multiple live talk shows where she shares her expertise on topics such as divorce proceedings, family and children-related issues. In addition, Poh Lin has also given talks on family law to various parent support groups in secondary schools as well as counsellors and social workers at Family Service Centres. She also volunteers at the Singapore Institute of Legal Education as a tutor for Family Law.

Poh Lin was called to the Singapore Bar in 2005.

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Year: 2014