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Year: 2018

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Civil and Syariah Law legal clinics

Our Women’s Care Centre runs regular Civil Law and Syariah Law legal clinics for women who need legal advice.

If you are a woman of any age and nationality living in Singapore and you pass our financial means test, you will be able to come for a one-off free 20-minute session with a lawyer to receive general legal advice.

Our lawyers are able to advise on Family and Syariah law, matrimonial issues, harassment, abuse and violence, and other civil issues (including estate, tenancy, criminal, traffic offence, employment, bankruptcy and claims matters). We are not able to advise on corporate, business, and investment matters.

To register your interest, please call the Helpline at 1800-777-5555 or fill out this online form and we will be in touch!

A Place To Call Home – A photo essay exhibition by single-parent families

For many families in Singapore, home is a stable sanctuary and a space to unwind. Single-parent families want the same things. But many have to also grapple with frequent moves, housing insecurity and tighter finances.

Five storytellers, all from single-parent families, bare their homes and their hearts in this photo essay exhibition.

Their stories add to the calls single parents have made over the years for greater support and protection for their families. These personal accounts show how “home” can be a journey through adversity and grief; a feat of hope and strength; and a long search for security and stability.

Join us for the exhibition’s launch party at Intermission Bar and learn about the real experiences of single-parent families, beyond just bold statistics, academic narratives and media headlines.

This exhibition will run from 9 October to 4 November.

Organised in conjunction with AWARE’s long-standing #asinglelove campaign, which works to support and empower single parents through advocacy, services and programmes.

LAUNCH PARTY!
RSVP to the launch party here – limited spaces available!

13 October 2018 (Saturday)
12PM – 2PM
Intermission Bar @ The Projector
6001 Beach Road #05-00
Lunch will be provided. 

Disability access: 
To get to Intermission Bar, access the ramp at the unloading bay towards the security counter at the office tower of Golden Mile Tower. Then proceed through the shopping mall to the cinema’s lift lobby (i.e next to the taxi stand). 

An exploration of Muslim women’s lived experiences: Growing Up Perempuan book launch

by Shafeeqah Ahmad Rosli, AWARE intern

‘Growing up Perempuan’, the follow-up book to ‘Perempuan: Muslim Women Speak Out’, was launched last Friday 31 August, at Wisma Geylang Serai. About 100 people attended the launch and panel discussion, which was moderated by the co-editor of the book Filzah Sumartono. The panel comprised of Rahayu Muhamad, President of PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women’s Association), and Sya Taha, a feminist writer and one of the contributors of the book.

Initially, there were no plans to publish a second book but the overwhelming support for Perempuan made Filzah and the team reconsider. Speaking at the event, co-editor Filzah highlighted the importance and power of validating narratives, saying that this was one of the main motivations to put together a second book.

Sya started the discussion off by recounting an experience when she was only 10 years old. A friend’s parent had asked, “During Hari Raya when Muslims ask for forgiveness, do they really mean it?”. On hindsight, it is outrageous that an adult would ask a child a question on culture and religion. From that experience, Sya realised early on that in spaces where she was a minority, she was solely seen as a representation of her race and religion instead of an individual.

This book explores the tension and conflict in inhabiting multiple identities simultaneously while navigating through life in Singapore. Rahayu said that as she read the book she felt, “angry, a sense of loss, and a sense that reality was speaking to me”. Growing up, she never felt or experienced the gendered social expectations and norms of how a girl should think or behave. Nevertheless, she added that stories are powerful and it is important for these stories to be told, no matter how uncomfortable the issues discussed may be.

During the question and answer segment, one audience member spoke about the importance of addressing the politics of representation and the danger of choosing only one voice to represent a group as it erases different experiences. The audience member pointed out that this is something Growing Up Perempuan does well by showcasing diverse lived experiences.

This anthology of essays aims to show that women in the Muslim community are not homogenous, but that their experiences and existence are rich in diversity and complexity.

Growing up Perempuan is available in all major bookstores and online at www.ethosbooks.com.sg. This book is part of the Gender Equality is our Culture (GEC) project by AWARE.

Don’t blame mothers for child sex abuse in the hands of others

This article was originally published in The Straits Times Forum on 5 September 2018. 

We refer to the article, “When home is where the sex abuse is”, where the writer cites lawyer Lee Terk Yang’s suggestion that the non-offending parent should face legal action for failing to report child sexual abuse.

Based on AWARE’s experience with the Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC), this suggestion turns a blind eye to the psychological and practical complexities that underlie speaking up about abuse. It also insidiously shifts responsibility away from the offenders.

Disclosing abuse not only impacts children but mothers too, many of whom experience secondary traumatic stress. They may blame themselves for being unable to protect their child, question their judgement or ability to parent, or grapple with the reality that both the perpetrator and the victim are their loved ones and part of the same family unit. The shame and fear of destabilising the family unit is very real for mothers who are largely primary caregivers.

Although some mothers may be entrenched in financial co-dependency with their spouses, there is no substantive evidence to indicate that this is increasingly becoming the reason mothers do not report.

Many mothers we support at SACC struggle with the decision of reporting due to concerns about what will happen to their child and the psychological trauma that the child may endure going through the legal system.

Moreover, children who have survived sexual abuse often struggle with the guilt of “breaking up the family” or causing hurt to the non-offending parent, long after the disclosure.

Legal action against the non-offending parent may deter children from speaking up as they contend with the guilt of said parent being punished.

It is dangerous to imply that the responsibility of protecting children lies solely on the shoulders of mothers. At every level of society, efforts need to be made to ensure that both children and non-offending family members feel safe and confident in seeking help.

We need greater awareness of existing trauma-informed specialised services at hospitals such as KKH and services like SACC’s, which provide information and support to child victims and non-offending parents and family members.

Further, early intervention from and partnership between enforcement agencies and community organisations should be encouraged so that child victims and their families can be supported throughout the difficult process.

To truly protect children from sex abuse, we need to send a clear message to offenders that abuse will not be tolerated, instead of blaming mothers.

Step Up, Speak Out! – Women & Dementia

“More women live with dementia than men. The prevalence is higher for women than for men; women are more at risk of developing dementia and the symptoms they live with are more severe.

Women provide a substantial proportion of informal care to people with dementia, with around two-thirds of primary caregivers overall being women.”

Referenced from the Alzheimer’s Disease International Women and Dementia Report.

Join us at the upcoming Step Up, Speak Out! – Women & Dementia event, organised by Project We Forgot, as we look at dementia through a feminist lens and learn more about how it disproportionately affects female caregivers. The discussion will explore the difficulties women face in relation to dementia and how the usual demographic of caregivers (female, single and unmarried, daughters, daughter-in-laws) are affected.

Speakers
► Female Caregivers
► Shailey Hingorani, Head of Advocacy, Research, and Communications at AWARE
► Dr Mok Wan Ling Vanessa, Consultant Psychiatrist in the Department of Psychological Medicine at Changi General
► Jeremy Khoo, Head of Communications at Alzheimer’s Disease Association (ADA) Singapore
► Melissa Chan, Founder, Project We Forgot

Event Details, Registration & Tickets here.

This event is organised by Project We Forgot in collaboration with AWARE Singapore. Hosted at Core Collective SG.

Intersectionality in Malaya’s Feminist Movements

Intersectionality is an analytic framework which considers that the various forms of social stratification – such as class, race, sexual orientation, age, disability and gender – do not exist separately from each other but are complexly interwoven. In the case of Malaya’s thriving political movements, how do we speak about feminism from various angles of experience and memory?

This public lecture is an in-depth account of the multiple struggles of the Malayan women’s movement, from securing gender equality in a patriarchal society to achieving unity among members of a multi-ethnic society that are further divided along class and religious lines.

As co-author of “Feminism and the Women’s Movement in Malaysia: An unsung (R)evolution” Maznah Mohamad will present in this lecture, various historical versions of personal and national struggles which have created both visible icons as well silent female figures. They detail the importance of the role of the women’s movement, led by numerous personalities in promoting social change in Malaysia and Singapore in the context of an ethnically fragmented post-colonial society.

Event details
Date: Tuesday, 25 Sept 2018
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: AWARE Centre, 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 S130005

REGISTER HERE. 

About the speaker
Maznah Mohamad is Associate Professor at the Department of Malay Studies and Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. She is also author of the book The Malay Handloom Weavers: A Study of the Rise and Decline of Traditional Manufacture (1996) and co-author of Feminism and the Women’s Movement in Malaysia: An Unsung (R)evolution (2006).

Over $470,000 raised for AWARE’s programmes, services and upcoming campaign to end sexual violence and harassment in Singapore

Over 500 donors and supporters joined in the revolution at the Revolution Ball, our annual fundraising ball on Saturday, 25 August. We launched our #metoo Action Fund to end harassment and sexual violence in Singapore. We raised a whopping $479,305.80 – well above our target of $450K this year – to support AWARE’s programmes, services and the upcoming #metoo campaign.

Keep a look out for more information on that coming very, very soon. A huge thank you to everyone who helped, participated and donated – we wouldn’t be anywhere without your support. In the meantime, check out these amazing photos from the ball and feel free to tag yourselves and your friends!

Photos by the amazing team at Studiokel Photography // www.studiokel.com

 

 

Muslim women tackle stereotypes head on through diverse stories

This post was originally published as a press release on 30 August 2018.

Writers share stories of dealing with stereotypes, prejudice and violence in new book, Growing Up Perempuan

In AWARE’s latest book, Growing Up Perempuan, Shiqah*, a mother of two, talks about trying to break out of the cycle of poverty and domestic violence she had been in since she was a child. “It was like I could never escape this vicious cycle. When we moved out, I had quit my job to take care of our children and had to depend on (my husband) Amir for money. It was always because of money issues that he got violent.”

Her story is captured in an interview with Zubaida Ali, a writer, facilitator and women’s rights advocate. Shiqah’s story of strength and courage through adversity is among the 54 compelling and thought-provoking essays and interviews in the book.

Growing Up Perempuan will be launched on Friday 31 August in conjunction with a panel discussion featuring Ms Rahayu Muhamad, President of PPIS (Singapore Muslim Women’s Association); Dr Nuraliah Norasid, winner of the 2016 Epigram Books Fiction Prize and research associate at the Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA); and Ms Sya Taha, a feminist writer and one of the contributors of the book. The speakers will be sharing their thoughts and experiences on growing up in the Muslim community in Singapore.  

Growing Up Perempuan is the sequel to Perempuan: Muslim Women in Singapore Speak Out, published in 2016 under AWARE’s Gender Equality Is Our Culture (GEC) project. The first book, Perempuan, comprised 31 essays and poems by Muslim women on the topics of sexuality, body image and culture.

This second book is broader in scope, and features stories of women from varying socio-economic and family backgrounds, and age groups, capturing the diverse experiences of Muslim women in Singapore.

Said Filzah Sumartono, Project Manager of GEC and one of the editors of the book, “Muslim women are not homogenous, and the stories we have collected clearly show this. We set out to include voices from different generations of women.

“This was done through our “In Conversation” essays –  interviews conducted by the writers with older relatives or women who are more comfortable narrating rather than writing their stories. We also have the “Stories” series – produced at writing workshops in welfare homes in Singapore. So the voices in the book range from those of girls as young as ten to women in their senior years.”

A major theme running through the stories is that of stereotypes –  the pressures faced by women to conform to restrictive rules of what it means to be a Muslim woman. Many of the writers speak of how these stereotypes have kept them from embracing their true selves and reaching their fullest potential.

Said Ms. Sumartono, “Stories help us to connect to ourselves and each other. Being a woman is hard, and being a Muslim woman is harder. These stories make us feel less alone in overcoming the struggles we deal with in our daily lives. By writing them, the authors have taken a brave step towards empowering themselves and others who are going through similar experiences.”

Said Margaret Thomas, President of AWARE and co-editor of both publications, “As AWARE works to improve the lives of all women in Singapore, we are alert to the unique struggles that ethnic and religious minority women face. We are glad to have been able to provide a channel for Muslim women to share their stories.”

Some of the highlights from the book include:

  • A Muslim woman’s guide to the workplace, part II – Raudah continues to fight against negative stereotypes of women wearing tudung in her workplace with her wit and humour.
  • Horror stories for little girls – Ham loves horror stories, but wonders why so many seem to confine and belittle women.
  • Do you want to switch lives with me? – Lisa hopes for respect in place of judgement when she tells someone that she engages in sex work.
  • From the lens of a Shia’ minority in Singapore – Sakinah encapsulates her journey towards self-acceptance, as a Shia’ minority in Singapore’s Sunni Muslim majority.
  • Letters to you – Q pours her heart out in a series of letters to her parents, making peace with herself in the process and focusing on her mental health.

Growing Up Perempuan wraps up AWARE’s 5-year GEC project, which was funded by a grant from UN Women.

The book is published by AWARE and is available in all major bookstores and online at www.ethosbooks.com.sg from 31 Aug 2018.

If you would like to attend the book launch and panel discussion, please write to Nabilah at media@aware.org.sg.

Book launch details:

Date: Friday, 31 August 2018

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Venue: Wisma Geylang Serai, Level 4, Project Studios,

1 Engku Aman Turn Singapore 408528

Light refreshments will be provided.

Available for interviews at the book launch are Filzah Sumartono, and author and panelist Ms. Sya Taha.

For sales and distribution enquiries please write to jenniferkwan@pagesetters.com.sg.

#MeToo Action Fund launched to support new campaign to end sexual assault and harassment

This post was originally published as a press release on 24 August 2018.

At its Revolution Ball on Saturday evening, gender equality group AWARE launched the #MeToo Action Fund to support its upcoming campaign to end sexual assault, harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace.

Donors and sponsors of the fundraising ball, which was held at Shangri-la Hotel, raised money in response to the global #MeToo movement against sexual violence, which blew up online a year ago.

“This year’s Ball was the “revolution” we needed – a revolution in attitudes and behaviours, and a journey towards real, lasting change,” said Corinna Lim, Executive Director of AWARE. “Because of #MeToo, we saw more nuanced media coverage and public conversations on sexual violence and gender discrimination, particularly in the workplace. Survivors in Singapore bravely shared their experiences as part of the movement, too. Most significantly, we saw a big jump in the number of calls – about 79% increase in the last quarter of 2017 – to our Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC), further proving that with social support and knowledge of helpful resources, survivors are more willing to speak up and seek help.”

The gala event was hosted by stage actors Pam Oei and Andrew Marko, and welcomed some 500 guests, who donated generously to support the Action Fund. Major funders for the Ball include KAH Motor, KOP Limited and Tan Ean Kiam Foundation.

Initiatives supported by the #MeToo Action Fund are set to kick off in the last quarter of 2018. AWARE unveiled its plans to expand the outreach and capacity of SACC; work with employers and institutions to ensure accountability for workplace harassment; conduct research to improve systems of support for survivors; and extend its public education tools on sexual violence, consent and gender inequality to more workplaces, schools and communities.

To support its campaign, AWARE will be releasing a video series wherein ten survivors of sexual assault and harassment boldly share their own experiences of sexual violence in Singapore. The first video was screened at the Revolution Ball on Saturday. The videos will be used to support various public education efforts, including to train employers and professionals to sensitively manage sexual harassment in the workplace and enact workplace policies to support those who have encountered harassment.

“The stories we hear from the survivors who spoke out in the video – and those who come to SACC to seek help every day – debunks the common myth that the #MeToo movement does not apply to Singapore. Sexual violence is a reality here, too. Our new campaign will send a strong and clear message that we believe survivors, stand behind them and are working systemically to improve support for them. With the funds raised, we will ensure that #MeToo is more than just a hashtag. It will be a turning point in strengthening the fight for gender equality, and to end sexual assault and workplace harassment,” said Ms. Lim.

The Ball raised its money from donation pledges, silent auction and lucky dip, as well as the net proceeds from the sale of tables at the gala dinner. The money raised throughout the fundraising campaign will also go towards AWARE’s public education programmes, and research and advocacy efforts for more supportive policies for all women.

Recognising champions of gender equality and women’s empowerment

Every year since 2011, the AWARE Awards have proudly celebrated individuals and organisations that promote gender equality in Singapore. This year’s award winners were presented with their respective awards at the Revolution Ball.  

AWARE awarded the Champion for Gender Equality and Justice award to Jean Chong, an LBT advocate and founder of LBT women’s rights group Sayoni. Stella Jayanthi, a community worker from Beyond Social Services, won the Champion for Women’s Empowerment award, together with Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support, a pro-choice organisation that works to empower and support pregnant teenagers to make an informed decision about her pregnancy. A special recognition award was given this year to Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) for their commitment to promoting women in corporate leadership.

Said Imran Taib, who was part of this year’s judging panel for the Awards, “As a first-time judge of the AWARE Awards, I was very moved by the amazing work that every individual and organisation in our pool of nominees has done to strive for gender equality. They’ve made great strides not only to support women’s choices and lives, but to also empower women economically and boost diverse women’s voices in civil society. The judges and I had a tough decision to make, and we are proud to celebrate our winners’ successes and achievements.” Imran was one of the winners of last year’s AWARE Awards for his work in WALI (Women and Law in Islam).  

Annex – AWARE Award winners 2018

Champion for Women’s Empowerment

Stella Jayanthi

A Community Worker with Beyond Social Services, Stella has been a passionate advocate for low-income women for the past 13 years, supporting them through addiction, domestic violence, single parenthood, homelessness, incarceration, and separation from their children. Stella has piloted multiple innovative income-generating projects for these women, particularly through baking, catering and sewing. By setting up cooperatives such as Café Beyond and Bakers’ Beyond, Stella has journeyed with these women through the very challenging path of becoming micro-entrepreneurs, created opportunities for skills-upgrading, networking, and branding, and advocated for them to earn fair wages. She sees these projects as ways to give disempowered women positive experiences of earning an income, and to develop their confidence in a safe and supportive space. A single mother of three, Stella draws on her own experiences to encourage women to rediscover their value to their families and communities.

Champion for Women’s Empowerment

Babes Pregnancy Crisis Support

Babes is a pro-choice organisation that believes in empowering every pregnant teenager to make an informed decision about her pregnancy. Since 2005, Babes has assisted more than 550 girls in pregnancy crises through their 24-hour helpline, casework, counselling and befriending services. Placing the wellbeing of their clients as central to their work, Babes not only prioritises the client’s agency in making her decision, but also ensures that she is connected to the necessary information, resources and support services throughout and beyond her pregnancy. Babes ensures the long-term wellbeing of its clients by organising skills-based workshops for them, connecting them to education and employment opportunities, and fostering a sense of community between clients, partners and volunteers. Babes does important work in reaching out to the public to raise awareness about its services, encouraging more conversation on the issue of teenage pregnancy and promoting greater acceptance of teenage mothers in our society.

Champion for Gender Equality and Justice

Jean Chong

An LBT advocate for the past 17 years and the co-founder of Sayoni, an LBT women’s rights group, Jean has been working tirelessly to develop the Human Rights Documentation on the discrimination and violence against LBT women for the past six years, a document that will serve as an instrumental evidence-based advocacy tool. During the 5th review of Singapore at the UN Convention for Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 2017, Jean led a team of representatives from Sayoni to Geneva to personally lobby the CEDAW Committee. As a result, specific recommendations addressing the discrimination against LBT women were included as part of the Concluding Observations from the Committee. Jean plays a key role in bringing activists and organisations together for collective action within and beyond Singapore. She believes in making advocacy accessible to all and a lot of her work has been focused on equipping communities with the language and tools to advocate for themselves. Jean registered Brave Spaces in 2017, the first-ever full-time hotline for marginalised women in Singapore which takes an intersectional, feminist and collaborative approach in nurturing and empowering all women.

Special Recognition – Commitment to Promoting Women in Corporate Leadership

Singapore Institute of Directors (SID)

Since 2014, SID has adopted a deliberate and proactive approach to raising awareness on the issue of underrepresentation of women directors on company boards through its events, publications and research studies. Through its events and initiatives, SID provides women directors with platforms to access networks of chairpersons and other directors. SID has its own Board Appointment and Diversity Subcommittee that works closely with the national Diversity Action Committee (DAC) and BoardAgender to encourage more companies to consider women directors for their board posts. In 2015, SID members teamed up with the DAC to develop the Diversity Pledge, which resulted in more than 200 companies publicly committing to take steps to improve diversity. SID has also been playing a crucial role in establishing gender diversity as an essential marker of good corporate governance by including diversity as an explicit criterion in the Singapore Corporate Awards. With these educational and advocacy efforts, SID hopes to move closer to the 20 by 2020 target of women board membership in the next couple of years.