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Year: 2024

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2024 Year-end Centre Closure Dates

The Women’s Care Centre (WCC) and Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) will be providing limited services during the year-end.

Details of the limited services are as follows:

WCC and SACC:

  • 16 Dec 2024 – 10 Jan 2025: Only Zoom chats and callbacks services are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; no new referrals are accepted during this time

AWARE Centre Closure

  • 23 Dec 2024 – 1 Jan 2025

Normal services for WCC and SACC will fully resume on Monday, 13 January 2024.

If you have experienced sexual assault within the last 72 hours, you may refer to this page for suggested actions.

If you require support, you may reach out to these alternatives:

  • National Anti-Violence Helpline (24-hour, for reporting of domestic and sexual violence): 1800 777 0000
  • Samaritans of Singapore (24-hour, for coping with self-harm or suicidal ideation):
  • IMH Helpline (24-hour, for mental health crisis): 6389 2222
  • ComCare Helpline (7am-12am, to locate your nearest Family Service Centre): 1800 222 0000
  • Care Corner Helpline (10am-10pm, for emotional support for Mandarin speakers): 1800 3535 800
  • Community Justice Centre (Mon-Fri, 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-4pm, 20 minutes free legal information, walk ins only, first-come-first-serve basis)
  • Law Society Pro Bono Legal Clinic Services (Free legal information, appointments needed)
  • Police 999, Medical assistance 995 (If you or someone you know is in danger or has an emergency)

We seek your kind understanding and patience. Thank you, and we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season.

What it takes to create more community awareness about gender-based violence: Insights from IDEVAW 2024 (4/4)

Sobikun Nahar, started Girls’ Night in 2018, where girls who could come together and talk about sexual violence, sexuality, relationships and other topics they find difficult to discuss in their community. The girls would deconstruct incidents that happened to them using applied drama, and act out how they would respond in the future.

As a community organiser at Beyond Social Services, Sobikun would take the experiences and thoughts that the girls discussed, anonymise them, and share them with people in their neighbourhoods. She’d ask neighbours to sign a pledge, to commit to learning how to create safe spaces in their community.

Tan Joo Hymn, Anupama Kannan, Sobikun Nahar and Izzaty Ishak talking about comprehensive sex education at IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Tan Joo Hymn, Anupama Kannan, Sobikun Nahar and Izzaty Ishak talking about comprehensive sex education at IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

Sobikun shared why she shares these girls’ stories at a panel at IDEVAW 2024—a full-day event on 30 November 2024 by AWARE where advocates and experts convened to talk about gender-based violence.

“Young girls, who are often the most vulnerable and the most at risk of harm, are completely essential to leading the change and are necessary to transform communities,” Sobikun said to the audience.“And often they are the least consulted, the least asked for, and they’re mainly being prescribed solutions.”

Beyond Social Services received 60 signatures from a neighbourhood initiative, and went on to train these neighbours on how to be active bystanders, and how to respond when a neighbour tells them they have experienced sexual assault.

Sobikun said that due to these conversations, girls, who ordinarily would not feel safe talking to boys about abuse or assault, learned that the boys in their neighbourhood would willingly talk about how they can provide support.

 

Sobikun Nahar, a community organiser at Beyond Social Services, showing a community pledge that neighbours signed, promising to create safe spaces for survivors of sexual assault. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Sobikun Nahar, a community organiser at Beyond Social Services, showing a community pledge that neighbours signed, promising to create safe spaces for survivors of sexual assault. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

While Sobikun creates community support with willing participants, Tan Joo Hymn, the programme director of Birds & Bees, AWARE’s comprehensive sex education (CSE) workshop, said she currently works with captive audiences. For the last three to four years, she has been teaching CSE in residential care homes. These homes impose a lot of restrictions on their clients, who she said feel forced to attend CSE.

“We can’t create a safe space,” Joo Hymn said at the panel. “The issue is how to create as safe a space as humanly possible in a space that is inherently unsafe.”

To tackle this issue, she said the programme must constantly evolve. She takes data from the responses she receives from residential care home clients, from boys, from vulnerable communities, and changes the programme to fit their needs. An interesting note she learned from teaching boys is that male gender expectations to perform prohibit them from being receptive to CSE.

“You’re either alpha or you get pummeled,” Joo Hymn said. The boys felt, “if I ask my girlfriend for consent, she’s going to think I’m damn lame, man. Just get on with it. Who the hell asks for consent in that situation?”

To address these male thoughts and norms, Anupama Kannan from United Women Singapore teaches ‘Boys Empowered,’ a CSE programme tailored to boys and men between 13 and 25 years old. Anupama and her programme team create safe spaces for boys to challenge gender stereotypes, and think about what healthy masculinity looks like.

“We start where the boys are, so we make a little bit of impact with the time we have,” Anupama said. She found it rewarding to see these boys understand why certain gender stereotypes were unhealthy. Yet, like Joo Hymn, she said she is limited by the amount of time she has with each class, and needs to refine the programme to meet these limitations.

Before the panel, IDEVAW 2024 attendees sat in focus group discussions to talk about CSE. In the morning, Devanantthan Tamilselvii, founder of Mental ACT hosted a discussion about how to foster healthy masculinity.

Male attendees talked about how there is a social cost for men when they attempt to be progressive. To break traditional masculine roles is to defy expectations and alienate themselves from their communities.

“I was really interested in hearing from the men on where they get their idea of masculinity,” ZY, an event attendee said.

Darren, a Yale-NUS College student, reflects on the barriers to providing comprehensive sex education in Singapore. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Darren, a Yale-NUS College student, reflects on the barriers to providing comprehensive sex education in Singapore. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

Knowing that it is difficult to enter male spaces to teach CSE effectively, attendees suggested that trainers need to meet young men in the community spaces that they are comfortable in. Ian, an attendee, suggested teaching trainers in judo, fishing, woodwork, and other traditionally male-dominated activities, on how to talk to their male clients about their emotions. These trainers have the opportunity to guide them through gender-informed perspectives.

ZY also attended our improv consent workshop, where instructor Prescott Gaylord taught attendees how to communicate consent. In one of his activities, attendees would engage in ‘Prescott says’ and one attendee would decide to say “no.” When they did, Prescott and the group would give a round of applause.

“Rejection can be a gift,” ZY learned from the exercise. “The person is trusting you enough to state their boundaries.”

Prescott gives all his attendees permission to replicate his training anytime, anywhere. His aim is for people to teach their community members that rejection is okay.

Joo Hymn intends to create and refine CSE programmes for vulnerable girls who have already experienced some form of violence. Before her panel, she hosted a focus group discussion with attendees on how they could create this programme.

Attendees raised that teaching parents CSE may be necessary, as they are the adults that will be responsible for answering their children’s questions. This could be the solution to addressing the time limitations of CSE programmes.

Darren, a Yale-NUS College (YNC) student, was one of the participants who attended the session. He works with Kingfishers for Consent, a YNC CSE programme, and noted that there were individuals from MOE and MSF who shared their opinions during the session. He said he enjoyed “learning more about their approaches to teaching consent in Singapore.”

What it takes to disrupt discrimination at work: Insights from IDEVAW 2024 (3/4)

By Athiyah Azeem

Are you automatically assigned more ‘submissive’ roles like taking notes or office housework? Dr. Annette S. Vincent asked this question to a group of people attending IDEVAW 2024—a full-day event on 30 November 2024 by AWARE where advocates and experts convened to talk about gender-based violence.

Many of the attendees, who were all femme-presenting, raised their hands. While someone who doesn’t experience this might think it is not a big deal, it is when it is a perpetual form of gender discrimination, Dr. Annette said; 20% of women report being made to do more office housework, like taking notes, than men. Dr. Annette calls this a microaggression.

Dr. Annette S. Vincent teaching the RAVEN approach to disrupting discrimination in the workplace. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Dr. Annette S. Vincent teaching the RAVEN approach to disrupting discrimination in the workplace. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

“The underlying factor is that it communicates harm and discrimination towards minorities in our community, causing psychological, emotional and sometimes physical harm,” Dr. Annette said. Ultimately, due to the cumulative stress these ‘small’ incidences cause, it has a big impact.

“Even a side remark at your workplace about women…in the long run, it does create a scar,” Sairino, a long-time AWARE volunteer who attended the workshop, said to an AWARE representative. She hopes to see more public awareness of the impact of microaggressions at work.

An event attendee asks Dr. Annette Vincent a question about microaggressions. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram)
An event attendee asks Dr. Annette Vincent a question about microaggressions. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram)

There are ways that we can disrupt microaggressions. Dr. Annette calls on survivors and bystanders to use the R.A.V.E.N. framework: where they can redirect the conversation to address the offending language directly; ask the offender probing questions so the offender understands what they did wrong; clarify the workplaces’ shared values like trust, diversity and inclusion; emphasise their own thoughts and feelings about the microaggression; and offer concrete steps on how the offender can change their behaviour moving forward.

For example, if someone interrupts their female colleague while they are speaking, you can redirect the conversation by saying, “Hey, she wasn’t done speaking. I’d like to hear what she was going to say.”

“If we have the power and privilege to interrupt microaggression, then we should call it out,” Dr. Annette said.

What it takes to stop domestic violence: Insights from IDEVAW 2024 (2/4)

By Athiyah Azeem. Lydia Ariani contributed to this article.

Faith Joyce Koh is a survivor of domestic violence. Her stepfather was a drunk, gambling womaniser who manipulated her, controlled her, and physically abused her. When she was 8 years old, he caned her so severely that her school reported it to the police.

Yet nothing came of it. Faith’s family members kept telling her to plead with thenot talk about the abuse to the police to not send her stepfather to prison, so she didn’t, and the police dropped the case. Her school counsellor got frustrated when Faith wouldn’t talk, so he stopped seeing her. Amid the pressure, Faith felt like it was somehow her fault that her stepfather caned her. She felt like she deserved it.

 

Viviene Sandhu, Clifford Law LLP and Pro Bono SG Ambassador for 2025; Faith Joyce Koh, a community intervention advocate; Grace Arthur, a social worker with Care Corner Project StART; and Li Li Tey, AWARE’s Helpline Programme Manager; talking about how to report domestic violence at IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Viviene Sandhu, Clifford Law LLP and Pro Bono SG Ambassador for 2025; Faith Joyce Koh, a community intervention advocate; Grace Arthur, a social worker with Care Corner Project StART; and Li Li Tey, AWARE’s Helpline Programme Manager; talking about how to report domestic violence at IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

 

Insights at a glance:

  • Faith Joyce Koh, a survivor of domestic violence, shared how she felt the police and her school failed to stop her stepfather from physically abusing her
  • In Faith’s case, the system placed the responsibility on her when she was 8-years-old to progress the case
  • There are now resources like the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT), a group of social workers who can issue emergency orders to perpetrators, which can include asking them to leave the household
  • Social workers like Grace Arthur from Care Corner Project StART provide long-term case management to survivors
  • Survivors can also file for Personal Protection Orders (PPOs), or file under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA)

Faith told her story on a panel at IDEVAW 2024—a full-day event on 30 November 2024 by AWARE where advocates and experts convened to talk about gender-based violence.

“In my experience, everything and everyone failed me as a child,” Faith said to the audience. “My safety, my happiness and my joy were really deprioritised in everything.”

“It is very disheartening what has happened [in Faith’s case],” said Grace Arthur, a social worker for Care Corner Project StART. “Our hope is that such cases are not repeated.”

In Faith’s case, the system placed the responsibility of progressing the case on the survivor, who was only a primary school student then. There are now processes available to survivors where social workers can intervene.

Since April 2023, when police receive a report about family violence and ascertain that there are immediate safety concerns, they will activate the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team, or DVERT, according to the Ministry of Social and Family Development or MSF.

The DVERT team, made of MSF social workers, can issue an emergency order to the perpetrator, which could involve asking them to not come near the survivor or temporarily leaving the household. They could place survivors in crisis shelters. Ultimately, they can refer the survivor to social service agencies like Care Corner, who can provide long-term case management.

Domestic violence is a multifaceted issue, Grace said. To address this, she said Care Corner social workers work with neighbours and friends to establish a safety plan. They also use a Continuum of Care structure, where they will provide care to their clients as they move through different stages of life.

Ultimately, when survivors feel conditioned to not have a voice, Faith said bystanders play an important role in taking action.

Li Li Tey, the moderator of the panel and AWARE’s Helpline Programme Manager, added that bystanders can call the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline at 1800-777-0000 to report the incident. All callers’ identification is kept strictly confidential.

“The assurance is that, as a bystander, even if your report turns out to be a false alarm, you will not be liable,” Li Li said.

Viviene Sandhu, a lawyer at Clifford Law LLP and Pro Bono SG Ambassador of 2025, said there are now more resources available for survivors than before—and they are online. Since 2014, survivors are able to file for protection from harassment, unlawful stalking and false statements of fact under the Protection from Harassment Act or POHA.

Viviene also said survivors can file for Personal Protection Orders, which is a court order that tells the offender not to use violence against a family member. You can learn more about PPOs on our website.

“I always say: it takes a village,” Viviene said. She said survivors must first identify that they are being abused, then tell the people they trust about it. She encouraged people close to survivors to help them take steps toward filing for protection. Part of the process involves writing brief descriptions of the incident and the injuries the survivor sustained.

Grace said Care Corner Project StART helps survivors apply for PPOs, and provides counselling support.

The panel makes it clear that the onus for reporting domestic violence is often on the survivors. They need to advocate for themselves and document the abuses that happened to them to file for legal protection. Survivors can be retraumatised in the process. Documenting abuse can be even more difficult when the abuse they endured is not obvious to the human eye, like emotional and psychological abuse, and coercive control.

The conversations social workers, authorities and advocates may need to have going forward, is how we can make it easier and less traumatic for survivors to report domestic violence, get to a safe space, and to be believed.

What it takes to stop deepfake nudes: Insights from IDEVAW 2024 (1/4)

By Athiyah Azeem. Adilah Rafey and Racher Du contributed to this article.

Explicit nonconsensual deepfakes are making headlines right now.

Recently, news reported that male Singapore Sports School students created and circulated deepfake nudes of female students and teachers. Less than two weeks later, anonymous actors attempted to extort a Ministry of Health agency with explicit deepfakes of their staff, and extort 100 public servants, including five ministers, using “compromising” videos. News media reported all three incidents in November alone.

Sugidha Nithiananthan, Director of Advocacy and Research at AWARE, presenting data on tech-facilitated sexual violence at AWARE IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Sugidha Nithiananthan, Director of Advocacy and Research at AWARE, presenting data on tech-facilitated sexual violence at AWARE IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

Insights at a glance:

  • There is a rise in nonconsensual deepfake nudes and other types of tech-facilitated sexual violence
  • The people who use intimate images or create deepfake images to commit sexual violence are often the people you know
  • Developers are racing to implement guardrails in their AI to prevent it from creating deepfake nudes, but bad actors keep breaking these guardrails
  • The Ministry of Digital Development and Information is creating an agency that could quickly order takedowns of posts with TFSV without needing to make a police report. This could give survivors relief and agency
  • Comprehensive sex education and consent education can prevent future generations from committing TFSV

This isn’t new. Nonconsensual deepfake nudes are a type of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence, or TFSV, where perpetrators commit sexual violence online.

Every year, AWARE receives a sizable number of callers to our Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) helpline about TFSV. Out of 713 calls about sexual violence to SACC in 2023, 113 calls, or 16%, involved TFSV.

Sugidha Nithiananthan, AWARE’s Director of Advocacy and Research, presented what we’ve learnt from these calls at IDEVAW 2024—a full-day event on 30 November 2024 by AWARE where advocates and experts convened to talk about gender-based violence.

“A client’s ex-boyfriend used intimate images from when they were in a relationship to blackmail and harass her,” Sugidha said to the audience. “After they broke up, he continued to message her with death threats.”

This is an incident where the perpetrator committed both IBSA and CBSA. IBSA is Image-Based Sexual Abuse. Non-consensual deepfake nudes are a type of IBSA. CBSA is Contact-Based Sexual Abuse. CBSA includes online interactions that lead to sexual violence, sexually harassing messages or comments and cyberstalking.

In 2023, 25% of perpetrators committed both IBSA and CBSA—an increase from 16% in 2022 and 6% in 2021.

It is vital to understand that the people who commit TFSV are not strangers—81.4% of TFSV perpetrators are known to the survivors. They’re mostly acquaintances, or intimate partners and ex-partners.

“TFSV is not a niche form of violence that only affects a subset of people who choose to date online or live their lives on online and social media,” Sugidha said. “Digital technology is amazing but also adversely affecting women in gendered and sexualised ways.”

To understand the digital technology, chiefly AI, that is used to perpetuate IBSA, Mohan Kankanhalli, Director of NUS’ AI Institute, introduced us to how developers can tackle it.

“Anybody with the ability to click a mouse can actually create deepfakes. Which is scary,” Mohan said.

But developers can implement guardrails on their AI to prevent it from creating nudes. For one, they can make the AI refuse to create images when they receive a prompt that has keywords like ‘nude’ or ‘naked.’

Even then, perpetrators can input the keywords in unique ways, like ‘nude%’ or ‘&*nude’, and the AI would still recognise the word “nude” and generate an explicit image. So, Mohan said it is difficult to build keyword-based guardrails.

Watermarking technology could impose an unremovable brand on images to help survivors and authorities track which AI engine created it. But Mohan said this technology just isn’t there yet.

Right now, developers are working on machine unlearning, where they get the AI engine to forget how to generate a naked body in the first place.

After their presentations, Sugidha and Mohan joined Stefanie Thio, Chairperson of SG Her Empowerment, to talk about how to stop incidences of TFSV.

 

Mohan Kankanhalli, director of NUS AI Institute, Stefanie Thio, chairperson of SG Her Empowerment, and Sugidha Nithiananthan, director of advocacy and research, talking about tech-facilitated sexual violence at IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).
Mohan Kankanhalli, director of NUS AI Institute, Stefanie Thio, chairperson of SG Her Empowerment, and Sugidha Nithiananthan, director of advocacy and research, talking about tech-facilitated sexual violence at IDEVAW 2024. Photograph by Bernadette Xiao (@bernadette.xiao on Instagram).

SG Her Empowerment operates SHECARES@SCWO, a support centre for survivors of online harms. Stefanie said she was excited by a recent announcement by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, who said they would create an agency to quickly take down online harms like intimate image abuse.

According to MDDI, this agency will allow victim-survivors to report abusive posts without needing to make a police report. This is important, as the criminal consequence of TFSV can stop survivors from making a report—especially when they know the perpetrator.

“What is important about this is not just how quick the takedown is, I think it is the sense of agency you give somebody who has been victimised,” Stefanie said. “It will signal to the community that these are bad actions.”

That said, Stefanie said that it is important for perpetrators to understand that what they are doing is wrong.

She introduced the idea of making a code of practice that schools can introduce to their students. This way, students understand and internalise that they should not commit or enable TFSV.

Sugidha and Stefanie talked about working together to create that code of practice.

On the developer side, Mohan said that having more women in tech will make TFSV more salient to tech companies and “get their due importance.” He said when tech companies prioritise creating better guardrails on their AI, it can help curb TFSV.

According to Sugidha, Stefanie and Mohan’s conversations, the technological solutions to TFSV are limited. As long as the technology exists on the internet, people will continue to use deepfake nude technology to commit IBSA to women they know.

And while it is true that putting images of yourself on social media increases your vulnerability to IBSA, TFSV does not just affect people with an online presence, Sugidha said. It is just a new way of perpetuating gender-based violence.

The reason why someone would commit TFSV, is often because they don’t respect the consent and autonomy of women and their bodies. Sugidha said it is important to teach people comprehensive sex education, including consent, gender stereotypes, gender-based violence and gender inequality, so future generations are less likely to commit TFSV.

You can read more about our TFSV findings in our press release.

AWARE Sees A Sharp Rise in Cases Involving Both Image and Contact-Based Sexual Abuse

Singapore – AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) and Women’s Helpline reported that 25% of all Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence (TFSV) cases in 2023 involved both Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) and Contact-Based Sexual Abuse (CBSA) (definitions in Annex I below). 

The 19% increase in cases involving both IBSA and CBSA since 2021 reveals how perpetrators are using a combination of image and contact-based methods to harm survivors. 

This dual approach intensifies the survivor’s vulnerability, as seen from the cases below. 

This overlap highlights the importance of ensuring that legal protections and support systems can respond to both forms of abuse effectively, guaranteeing survivors receive comprehensive help.

According to AWARE, TFSV is defined as sexual violence committed, amplified, or aided through digital technologies or online platforms. In 2023, AWARE received 713 unique calls related to sexual violence, with 113 cases (16%) involving technology.  

Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) and Contact-Based Sexual Abuse (CBSA)  

IBSA refers to abusive behaviours involving intimate images or videos. The most prevalent forms reported to AWARE included:  

  • Non-consensual creation/obtaining of intimate images (40%)
  • Non-consensual distribution of intimate images (24%)
  • Sextortion (17%) 
  • Forced viewing of explicit material (2%)  

CBSA involves using technology to facilitate unwanted sexual contact, such as:

  • Online interactions leading to subsequent sexual violence (41%)
  • Sexually harassing messages or comments (35%)
  • Cyberstalking (13%)  

“AWARE’s data shows that technology increasingly facilitates multifaceted modes of abuse, often through everyday platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook,” said Sugidha Nithiananthan, AWARE’s Director of Advocacy and Research.  

Myths and Realities: Known Perpetrators and Societal Trends  

Contrary to the misconception that TFSV perpetrators are anonymous strangers, 81.4% of perpetrators were known to survivors, including:

  • Acquaintances (46%)
  • Current or former intimate partners (26%)  

“These findings debunk the myth of ‘stranger danger.’ Technology amplifies harm from known individuals, making violence more pervasive and harder to escape,” Ms. Nithiananthan said.  

Decrease in Reported Cases and the Size of the Problem  

While TFSV cases reported to AWARE decreased by 36% from 2022 to 2023, this may not reflect a true reduction in prevalence. Underreporting persists because survivors may feel uncomfortable coming forward or may not recognise that what they’ve experienced constitutes TFSV. Factors could also include survivors seeking support elsewhere.

“We are pleased to see that there are now more services supporting victim-survivors of TFSV, such as the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline and SHECARES@SCWO, in addition to AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre and Women’s Care Centre helplines,” Ms. Nithiananthan added.  

“Despite the addition of two support services, our helplines continue to receive many calls. This, along with ongoing underreporting due to discomfort or lack of awareness among survivors, highlights the magnitude of the problem in Singapore.”

Unique challenges presented by TFSV

TFSV’s digital nature presents unique challenges, such as cross-jurisdictional issues (for example, when the perpetrator is in a different legal region than the survivor) and cases being dismissed due to inadequate evidence. 

AWARE reported that 20% of survivors who sought help from authorities felt their cases were not handled satisfactorily, often due to the complexities of digital abuse.  

“TFSV survivors can also be revictimised indefinitely because images may resurface anytime, creating a pervasive sense of threat,” Ms. Nithiananthan said.  

Recommendations for Addressing TFSV  

To better protect survivors, AWARE advocates for legal protection that:  

  • includes all non-consensual intimate content creation, obtainment, and sharing
  • includes messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp 
  • has a clear process for content takedown with short timelines and easy access for reporting cases.   

However, beyond regulatory mechanisms, solutions must also target societal attitudes enabling gender-based violence. 

Generative AI, which refers to artificial intelligence that can create new content like images or videos, is being used to create ‘deepfake’ content—realistic but fake media where someone’s likeness is manipulated. For example, in the recent Singapore Sports School incident, students’ images were misused, highlighting the urgent need for intervention.  

“This isn’t a prank—it’s abuse,” Ms. Nithiananthan stated. “We need a combination of technology-specific solutions and societal change to combat gender-based violence effectively.”

Annex I: Definitions

Tech-facilitated sexual violence may include sexual harassment, rape, assault, stalking, public humiliation, or intimidation. TFSV behaviours include explicit sexual calls and texts, communications that force people to have sex, and image-based sexual abuse.

Contact-based sexual abuse can include explicit, coercive, and sexually harassing messages or comments on social media, as well as online interactions that don’t involve images and/or videos that lead to sexual violence in real life.

Image-based sexual abuse is an umbrella term for various behaviours involving sexual, nude, or intimate images or videos of another person. AWARE identifies five types:

  • The non-consensual creation or obtainment of sexual images: including sexual voyeurism acts such as upskirting, hacking into a victim’s device to retrieve such images, and/or the creation of such images via deepfake technology
  • The non-consensual distribution of sexual images: sometimes known colloquially as “revenge porn,” is whereby images shared willingly by a partner or ex-partner are then disseminated to others without the subject’s consent
  • The non-consensual viewing of sexual images: whereby a victim is made to view sexual content, such as pornography or dick pics, unwillingly, e.g. over message or email
  • Sextortion: whereby sexual images of a victim, obtained with or without consent, are used as leverage to threaten or blackmail that victim in order to solicit further images and/or sexual practices, money, goods or favours
  • Others, including the capturing of publicly available, non-sexual images, which are then non-consensually distributed in a sexualised context, e.g. with sexual comments and/or on a platform known for sexual content, such as the “SG Nasi Lemak” genre of Telegram group

Annex II: Selected Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Cases from 2023

Case studies

These case studies illustrate the complexity of TFSV cases, where survivors face both direct digital harassment (CBSA) and non-consensual use of intimate images (IBSA):

Case study 1:

Client was being harassed by somebody online after backing out of an online shopping transaction. The harasser downloaded photos of her in swimwear from Facebook and sent her explicit and threatening messages. She blocked him on Facebook and WhatsApp, but he continued to contact her using another phone number.

Case study 2:

Client’s ex-boyfriend used intimate images from when they were in a relationship to blackmail and harass her. When the ex-boyfriend heard that she was going to get married, he obtained her fiance’s contact information and sent him the images. He also threatened to disseminate her images online. The ex-boyfriend was physically abusive during their relationship. After they broke up, he continued to message her with death threats.

Case study 3:

Client was warned by an anonymous account on social media that intimate images of her were circulating online. She was not sure if the claims were authentic and wanted to get to the bottom of the issue. However, the police were unable to investigate because the anonymous account did not provide the client with any evidence. The uncertainty of the situation made her feel extremely uncomfortable and anxious.

SAFRT: 19 Dec 2024 [online]

Please note this workshop will take place online via Zoom.

Understand trauma reactions and learn tangible skills to support sexual violence survivors at this workshop by AWARE.

“Are you sure that happened? Why didn’t you fight back? You should have known better.” These are some common responses survivors of sexual assault have heard, which may further their feelings of doubt, guilt and shame.

It is not always easy for survivors to tell someone about what happened; in fact, for some survivors, it can be especially daunting. So the way their loved ones respond becomes pivotal in their journey of recovery. First response that is sensitive to a survivor’s needs and choices is necessary in preventing re-victimisation.

This Sexual Assault First Responder Training helps familiarise participants with trauma reactions and symptoms to better contribute to a survivor’s well-being. In this workshop, we will share more on the following:

  • Definition of sexual assault and harassment
  • Recognising Singapore’s legal framework
  • Understanding consent
  • Understanding the impact of sexual assault and trauma on survivors
  • Role of a first responder
  • Providing support to survivors of sexual assault
  • Resources available for help
  • Key skills such as ensuring safety, active listening and empathy

We want this workshop to be accessible to everyone, and require your generous contribution to keep it running. While you are welcome to give any amount you wish, we suggest a minimum of $30 per person. No tax deduction will be provided. Note that Eventbrite requires a minimum contribution of $1. If for financial reasons you require a waiver of this minimum contribution, please email volunteer.manager@aware.org.sg.

Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/19-december-2024-sexual-assault-first-responder-training-online-session-tickets-958720788687?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Note as well that we are unable to accommodate transfers and cancellations if participants are unable to attend after payment has been made.

Persons of all genders and nationalities are more than welcome to attend.

We strongly request that all participants commit to the full duration of the 3-hour workshop (there are breaks!) to ensure that everyone will get the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and learn useful skills.

Event details:
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2024
Time: 14:00 – 17:30 GMT+8
Location: 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 Singapore, 130005

SAFRT: 21 Nov 2024 [in person]

Please note this workshop will take place in person.

Understand trauma reactions and learn tangible skills to support sexual violence survivors at this workshop by AWARE.

“Are you sure that happened? Why didn’t you fight back? You should have known better.” These are some common responses survivors of sexual assault have heard, which may further their feelings of doubt, guilt and shame.

It is not always easy for survivors to tell someone about what happened; in fact, for some survivors, it can be especially daunting. So the way their loved ones respond becomes pivotal in their journey of recovery. First response that is sensitive to a survivor’s needs and choices is necessary in preventing re-victimisation.

This Sexual Assault First Responder Training helps familiarise participants with trauma reactions and symptoms to better contribute to a survivor’s well-being. In this workshop, we will share more on the following:

  • Definition of sexual assault and harassment
  • Recognising Singapore’s legal framework
  • Understanding consent
  • Understanding the impact of sexual assault and trauma on survivors
  • Role of a first responder
  • Providing support to survivors of sexual assault
  • Resources available for help
  • Key skills such as ensuring safety, active listening and empathy

We want this workshop to be accessible to everyone, and require your generous contribution to keep it running. While you are welcome to give any amount you wish, we suggest a minimum of $30 per person. No tax deduction will be provided. Note that Eventbrite requires a minimum contribution of $1. If for financial reasons you require a waiver of this minimum contribution, please email volunteer.manager@aware.org.sg.

Register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/21-november-2024-sexual-assault-first-responder-training-tickets-958720096617?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Note as well that we are unable to accommodate transfers and cancellations if participants are unable to attend after payment has been made.

Persons of all genders and nationalities are more than welcome to attend.

We strongly request that all participants commit to the full duration of the 3-hour workshop (there are breaks!) to ensure that everyone will get the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions and learn useful skills.

Event details:
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2024
Time: 18:00 – 21:30 GMT+8
Location: 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 Singapore, 130005

[EVENT] IDEVAW 2024 Community Takes Action: Disrupt the Norm

Unite with advocates and experts to disrupt gender-based violence. Help build a safer and more inclusive society—change starts here! Tickets are available for morning, afternoon and full day sessions.

This event is an opportunity to engage with leading experts, passionate advocates, and community changemakers who are working to end gender-based violence. Whether you are a student, a professional in the social services field, someone interested in becoming a first responder, or simply a member of the public who wants to make a difference—this event has something meaningful for you. We will also be announcing our new findings on tech-facilitated sexual violence—register now and be the first to know.

COMMUNITY TAKES ACTION 2024: DISRUPT THE NORM

📅 Date: Saturday, 30 November 2024
🕘 Time: 9am to 6pm
📍 Venue: 10SQ, Orchard Central (Somerset MRT)

Ticketing
Get your seats here: 🎟️ https://bit.ly/awareidevaw2024

Why You Should Attend

This event is a chance to engage with leading experts, passionate advocates, and community changemakers dedicated to ending gender-based violence. Whether you’re a student, social service professional, or someone keen to make a difference—there’s something meaningful here for you.

  • For the General Public: Gain insights into tech-facilitated sexual violence, the impact of gender stereotypes, and ways to break the cycle of abuse. Empower yourself with knowledge and actionable steps.
  • For Students: Connect with experts, discover new career paths, and engage in crucial conversations about gender-based violence and community action.
  • For Social Service Professionals: Expand your knowledge of best practices and strategies to support survivors, learn from frontline professionals, and enhance your intervention toolkit.

Programme Highlights

📝 Poetry by UWCSEA East—VOWS Student Group

Opening Keynote and AWARE’s New Findings on Tech-Facilitated Sexual Violence
It’s time to talk about disrupting gender-based violence! Corinna Lim, our Executive Director, will welcome attendees and delve into the pressing issue of sexual violence, especially in online spaces. This will be followed by the debut of AWARE’s new research on tech-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) with Sugidha Nithiananthan, our Director of Advocacy and Research.

Panel 1: Digital Danger
Meet a panel of experts to learn about tech-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) and image-based sexual abuse, including deepfakes, and how they are perpetuated online.

Panelist Stefanie Yuen Thio, the Chairperson of SG Her Empowerment (SHE), a support centre for survivors of online harms; and moderator Sugidha Nithiananthan, AWARE’s Director of Advocacy and Research, will share how to create impactful interventions to counter tech-facilitated violence and create safer digital spaces. Don’t miss this crucial conversation on the evolving digital threats and how we can collectively combat them.

Stephanie represented SHE at the CEDAW meeting in Geneva where she talked about the threat of online harms and advocated for an office for e-safety in Singapore. Mohan Kankanhalli is the director of NUS AI Institute. Sugidha has spent more than 25 years as a litigator and corporate lawyer. She has been a loyal supporter of AWARE for decades, volunteering in its legal clinic and other areas.

Panel 2: Strengthening Safety Networks
Learn about the support available to people facing violence from frontliners of domestic violence intervention and recovery. Panelists Grace Arthur, a social worker at Care Corner Project StART; Viviene Sandhu, a lawyer from Clifford Law LLP; Faith Joyce Koh, a community intervention advocate; and moderator Li Li Tey, AWARE’s Helpline Programme Manager, will explore how first responders can support survivors when they access these services. They will also examine the challenges survivors and perpetrators face when they seek help, and how first responders can encourage them to seek support.

Grace manages family violence and sexual violence cases at Care Corner. Viviene is a lawyer, mediator and Pro Bono SG Ambassador for 2025. Faith went viral on TikTok when she shared how she intervened during incidences of domestic violence, calling on others to intervene too. Li Li is a seasoned social work professional with a passion for empowering individuals and advocating for social justice.

Panel 3: Community Empowerment
Join community changemakers as they explore how harmful gender norms and inadequate sex education fuel violence and discrimination within communities. Panelist Sobikun Nahar, a community organiser with Beyond Social Services; and moderator Joo Hymn, AWARE’s Programme Director for Birds & Bees, our comprehensive sex education programme, will showcase community-based initiatives that create safe spaces and foster healthy gender dynamics, and share the key learning practices and challenges they face. This discussion will encourage community members, leaders, and organisations to actively build a culture of respect, safety, and empowerment for all genders.

Sobikun creates spaces for communities to discuss their issues and the actions they would like to take through outreach, facilitated conversations, applied drama and more. Joo Hymn has been a volunteer at AWARE for over 25 years as well as being a Past President.

Breakout Sessions

We have a total of six breakout sessions. They are split between two sections of the day: AM, from 12:45PM to 1:45PM, and PM, from 3:15 PM to 4:15PM. The breakout sessions “Disrupting Microaggressions” and “Conscious Communication, Consent and Boundaries” run in both the AM and the PM. “Your Ideas for Co-Creating Masculinity” only runs in the AM. “Your Ideas for Consent Education” only runs in the PM.

If you have an AM ticket, you can only attend one AM breakout session. If you have a PM ticket, you can only attend one PM session. If you have a full day ticket, you can attend one AM session and PM session. We will send you a Google Form so you can select your preferred breakout session. They are on a first come first serve basis.

AM & PM: Disrupting Microaggressions
Join us for an insightful workshop led by Dr. Annette S. Vincent, on how seemingly minor actions and comments can perpetuate gender-based discrimination in our daily lives. Learn practical strategies to recognize and disrupt microaggressions in various settings, from workplaces to social environments. Dr. Vincent is a Green Dot Certified facilitator and former Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Carnegie Mellon University. In her previous role, Dr. Vincent championed initiatives that cultivated a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

Note: Breakout sessions are on a first come first serve basis. After confirming your registration, we’ll send you a form so you can sign up for your preferred breakout session. Remember to sign up as soon as possible!

AM & PM: Improv Workshop on Conscious Communication, Consent, and Boundaries
Learn healthy communication skills by participating in improvisational games! Improv director and intimacy choreographer Prescott Gaylord will engage you in exercises with fellow participants to explore listening, open communication, co-creation, supportive behaviour, clear boundaries and taking care of yourself. Prescott has performed in and directed large and small-scale improvised projects in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Bethelhem, Washington D.C., Austin, New York, Manila, Shanghai, and Chicago.

Note: Breakout sessions are on a first come first serve basis. After confirming your registration, we’ll send you a form so you can sign up for your preferred breakout session. Remember to sign up as soon as possible!

AM: Your Ideas for Co-Creating Masculinity

Join us for an engaging conversation led by Devanantthan Tamilselvii, the Executive Director of Mental ACT, a non-profit organisation that provides mental health services and programmes for the South Asian community in Singapore. This session invites participants of all genders to share their thoughts, experiences, and aspirations for healthy masculinity in young men.

Together, we’ll explore themes such as identity, respect, and emotional well-being while gaining insights from diverse perspectives. Expect a safe, inclusive space for open dialogue where we can collaboratively share ideas that support the development of a masculinity programme that resonates with the needs of young men today. Let’s tap into our collective strengths to build a more supportive future.

Note: Breakout sessions are on a first come first serve basis. After confirming your registration, we’ll send you a form so you can sign up for your preferred breakout session. Remember to sign up as soon as possible!

PM: Sex Education in Singapore
This session is an open dialogue that invites participants of all genders to share their thoughts, experiences, and aspirations for sex and consent education in Singapore. Together with Tan Joo Hymn, AWARE’s Programme Director for Birds & Bees, our comprehensive sex education programme, we’ll explore themes such as communication, respect, and healthy boundaries, while gaining insights from diverse perspectives. Expect a safe, inclusive space where we can collaboratively exchange ideas, to shape an impactful sex and consent education program for the needs of youth today. Let’s harness our collective strengths to empower a more informed and respectful generation.

Note: Breakout sessions are on a first come first serve basis. After confirming your registration, we’ll send you a form so you can sign up for your preferred breakout session. Remember to sign up as soon as possible!

This event is a unique platform to connect with thought leaders, engage in critical conversations, and take part in hands-on workshops. Let’s come together to disrupt the norm, promote gender equality, and support survivors.

COMMUNITY TAKES ACTION 2024: DISRUPT THE NORM

📅 Date: Saturday, 30 November 2024
🕘 Time: 9am to 6pm
📍 Venue: 10SQ, Orchard Central (Somerset MRT)

Ticketing
Get your seats here: 🎟️ https://bit.ly/awareidevaw2024