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Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019: Top Slido questions answered

At AWARE’s Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019 event on Monday, 25 November, the audience submitted dozens of excellent questions about technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) for the panel, many of which had to go unanswered that night. We’ve compiled the top six questions as upvoted by attendees at the event, and answered them to our best ability here.

To start, the basics of what to do when tech-facilitated sexual violence occurs:

 

Please note that the below should not constitute legal advice.

Q: How would the law address the distribution and sexualisation of non-sexual photographs of women, if at all (i.e. the xiao mei mei Telegram groups)?

Any act that causes distress, alarm or harassment would be covered under the current Protection from Harassment Act. With the new Penal Code changes—depending on how the photo has been sexualised and which parts of the body are depicted—this behaviour may be covered under Section 377BE. 

Section 377BE finds a person (A) guilty of an offence who “intentionally or knowingly distributes an intimate image or recording of another person (B) without B’s consent to the distribution; and knowing or having reason to believe that the distribution will or is likely to cause B humiliation, alarm or distress.

The “intimate image or recording” in this section refers to an image or recording of B’s “genital or anal region, whether bare or covered by underwear”; “of B’s breasts if B is female, whether bare or covered by underwear”; “of B doing a private act”. It also includes “an image or recording, in any form, that has been altered to appear to show any of the above, but excludes an image so altered that no reasonable person would believe that it depicts B”.

If B (the survivor) is below 14, A shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years and shall also be liable to fine or to caning.

Q: What if we don’t know who the perpetrator is?

You can still file a police report. The police would attempt to find out who the perpetrator is. However, you would not be able to file a protection order against an unknown person.

You would still be able to apply for a non-publication order, which would be served to websites. Again, though, this would be limited by jurisdiction.

Q: Are the laws currently in place sufficient or effective in deterring acts of IBSA? Are there any gaps, and how can these be addressed?

This is a great question. There is not enough research right now about how effective our current laws are. We would welcome research that examines the effectiveness before and after the recent Penal Code changes.

Q: Priscilla Chia mentioned new legislation around protection orders, e.g. expedited orders. Are protection orders effective in stopping violence? Is there data on this?

Expedited protection orders are not a new thing in Singapore. However, recent POHA amendments do make court processes more efficient, which should speed things up significantly.

In our Sexual Assault Care Centre‘s experience, in some cases where protection orders were applied, these orders have helped to stop the sexual violence to date. However, in other domestic violence cases seen by AWARE’s Women’s Care Centre, we have seen perpetrators breach their protection orders.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of protection orders in Singapore is an area that requires more research.

Q: What can a bystander do if the person being sexually harassed (and experiencing obvious distress) doesn’t want to report it for fear of embarrassment?

A good bystander will validate the feelings and experiences of the survivor without judgment or prescription of any one course of action. Filing an official report is, of course, one way for a survivor to seek justice and closure after tech-facilitated sexual violence. However, every survivor has the right to weigh the pros and cons of making a report, including the practical risks that might follow: e.g. retaliation, public shaming and/or negative attention. Ultimately, she should prioritise her physical and emotional well-being, and do what she needs to do for her recovery.

In SACC’s Sexual Assault First Responder Training, we share four tenets of effective support for when someone discloses an experience of sexual violence to you:
“It’s not your fault.”
“It’s your choice how you want to move forward.”
“It’s your experience, not anybody else’s.”
“I’m here to support you.”

Q: What are the biggest problems in boys’ education that contribute to a culture of TFSV? Besides legislation, does AWARE believe that it is possible to educate people against committing acts of IBSA?

Surveys have shown that young people (of all genders) in Singapore suffer from a dearth of comprehensive information about sex and relationships, possibly due to a lack of comprehensive sexuality education in schools. A strong sex education curriculum would cover not only physical health, but emotional well-being, empathy and respect for others, healthy relationships and, particularly, consent—what it looks like, what it doesn’t look like, and how to negotiate it in a real-life scenario. We believe that this is the best, most “upstream” way to prevent young people from turning to sexual violence of any kind.

Along with our ongoing Aim for Zero campaign, which combats sexual violence by increasing awareness and conversation, AWARE has a programme called Birds & Bees. Birds & Bees is a workshop for parents that enables them to impart comprehensive sexuality education to their children. It provides simple, easy-to-use tips for communicating values about sex and relationships, and building more trust and openness on these subjects with youth. Email publiceducation@aware.org.sg to secure a spot in our next workshop.

Lastly, if you are a survivor of sexual violence, please reach out to SACC for support by calling our Helpline (6779 0282), or texting our SACC WhatsApp at 9781 4101.

A Recap: Write Forum – Writing Workshop by Constance Singam and Dana Lam

Written by Aria Lee

“Who do you think you are?”

This was the question that Dana Lam, former president of AWARE, was asked by an aunt when she wrote her first forum letter to a newspaper. 

“Little did she know,” said Dana now, years later. She grinned cheekily as around the room, workshop participants chuckled. Write Forum was a letter-writing workshop that took place at the AWARE Centre on Saturday, 16 November, 2019. Dana, along with Constance Singam (another former AWARE president), led the session. The two women shared their extensive experience writing letters advocating for policy and social change in Singapore over the years.

Write Forum’s 20-something participants came from various organisations, advocating for many different causes. Accordingly, they were themselves familiar with how slowly change can take place in society, and the need for activists to speak up to push the needle on social issues. Participants noted that many ideas we take for granted today—such as the right for Singaporean women living overseas to have their children granted citizenship, or equal gender representation in medical schools—were advocated for over many years before they were widely accepted. Indeed, some were met with ridicule.

So where does writing letters (concerned citizen letters, group representative letters, campaign letters, and even longer op-eds) come in? Well, because newspapers continue to reach a broad audience in Singapore, they provide one of the best platforms for a regular citizen to get his or her views to the relevant authorities—who may not always get the perspective of citizens on the ground of an issue.

From there, pressure may slowly mount around an issue. Sometimes it takes a few generations of letter-writers telling the story over and over and continually bringing up a problem until the issue can no longer be ignored. 

Constance (better known as Connie) began by recounting how she wrote to a newspaper after her husband suffered a heart attack during the night while in hospital. He did not receive prompt medical attention, and sadly passed away. Connie believes that her letter, in combination with another similar critical accident occurring around the same time, led to the government requiring hospitals to have doctors in attendance 24/7.

After Connie joined AWARE in the ’80s, her letter-writing took off even more. Connie and Dana cited the many different letters they had written to engage the government and public, on issues including expanding awareness on violence, getting hospitals to keep better records, and improving training for police and service providers on cases of abuse and sexual assault. 

For example: In a letter written in response to housing and aid policies favoring married women, Connie wrote, “A woman in Cabinet would have told the Prime Minister that no woman would take on the burden of single motherhood willingly… Most single mothers are abandoned mothers. First, the father abandons them, then the state, too, abandons them.”

After walking through the above examples, Dana and Connie imparted their best letter-writing tips. These included:

  • Having a hook to capture attention
  • Prioritising your main points/goals
  • Writing with concision and clarity
  • Adding in your suggested solutions to a problem
  • Avoiding naming (or blaming) particular individuals
  • Responding to relevant recent events in a timely manner

The two women also stressed that writers should keep in mind the big picture and ensure that their core messages are kept at the forefront of a piece. 

“Remember,” Dana said, “your objective is to get a policy examined and start a productive discussion, not to just rant.”

Write Forum attendees with Constance Singam and Dana Lam

After the main presentation, participants got into small groups and analysed six different advocacy letters, making comments and asking questions to the presenters. Then, they were given time to practice writing their own letters and garner some feedback. 

Connie and Dana noted that regardless of the level of response one letter may receive, someone is listening. Activists, therefore, must not become discouraged when impact is not immediate. Despite its difficulties, advocacy has come a long way in Singapore, they reflected, and time has proven that there are always people willing to learn and speak up. Ultimately, everyone has a voice and collectively, these voices matter. 

“In the end, if you can’t do anything about an issue at the moment, at least you can inform your fellow citizens about it,” Dana concluded.

A Recap: Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019

Written by Jasmine Gomez. Photographs by Kaspen Paraskakis Narayan.

One hundred and twenty-four: That’s is the total number of survivors of technology-facilitated sexual violence who sought help at AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) in 2018.

These 124 survivors experienced harassment ranging from unwanted explicit sexual messages and calls to the non-consensual creation, obtainment and distribution of sexual images of themselves.

That number, in fact, has been constantly rising every year. It was 99 in 2017, and 46 in 2016. However, there is a silver lining: the fact that the Singaporean public is waking up to the pervasiveness of the issue of tech-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV), and interested in doing something about it.

On 25 November—in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, as well as the one-year anniversary of AWARE’s Aim For Zero campaign against sexual violence—around 150 participants made their way to the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar, for a multi-part event called Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019. It comprised the public launch of a new set of statistics on the TFSV cases seen by SACC in the past couple of years, followed by a panel on the barriers and challenges faced by survivors of this type of sexual violence, and a launch of a solutions-oriented contest to combat image-based sexual abuse. 

The panel constituted four speakers: Monica Baey, an advocate for sexual violence survivors and a recipient of AWARE’s “Woman of Courage” Award at the 2019 AWARE Ball; Amber Hawkes, the Head of Safety Policy, APAC at Facebook; Benny Bong, counsellor and president of the Society Against Family Violence; and Priscilla Chia, litigator and SACC volunteer lawyer. The conversation was moderated by Lim Xiu Xuan, a senior case manager at SACC.

Corinna, AWARE’s executive director, welcomed the participants with an opening speech which brought to light the success of the Aim For Zero campaign and the #MeToo movement in Singapore, and later revealed another cause for celebration: 25 November also marked AWARE’s 34th year of existence in Singapore. 

Anisha Joseph, Head of AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre

Anisha Joseph, head of SACC, then kick-started the event by presenting the newest statistics on TFSV cases at SACC. Out of the 124 cases in 2018, she explained, more than 50% involved IBSA—i.e. sexual images of the survivor that were nonconsensually shared, obtained and/or created. Anisha summarised her presentation by noting that TFSV is often “folded into” pre-existing practices of violence, such as verbal harassment or voyeurism.

The subsequent panel discussion covered the mental, social and emotional impact of technology-facilitated sexual violence on survivors and the journey that survivors have to go through towards recovering from and/or reporting the crime. It also touched on practical and legal resolutions available to survivors in Singapore, or to bystanders who witness IBSA on social media platforms such as Facebook.

Litigator Priscilla Chia provided an overview of this year’s amendments to the Penal Code and the Protection from Harassment Act. Because sexual violence that occurs in the digital realm is criminalised, survivors are afforded the ability to apply for an expedited Personal Protection Order (PPO) against someone circulating their sexual images and videos without consent online. Additionally, should such images or videos be uploaded on a certain Facebook or Instagram page, for instance, those entities can be a part of the PPO as well. Priscilla also dispelled a few myths with respect to the application process: Namely, she highlighted that there is no need for the engagement of a lawyer to apply for the PPO.

To complement those legal recourse options, Amber Hawkes brought up the policies Facebook has put in place for its users’ safety as well as the reporting process on the platform.

Counsellor Benny Bong then weighed in on the common misconception that perpetrators of sexual violence, whether online or offline, commit their actions because they are suffering from mental illnesses. Many perpetrators have confessed to him, in fact, that they did what they did because they were confident in being able to get away with it.

Finally, Monica Baey enlightened the crowd with her own personal experience as a well-known survivor of on-campus voyeurism last year. She spoke about accepting the fact that she had been violated, receiving support from her friends and family following the incident, reporting it the police and her university, and the messages that poured in from online users after she posted about her experience on her Instagram account.

“I’ve always felt all this time that I always wanted to make a change, and I know a lot of people who feel the same way,” Monica added passionately. “People are afraid that their actions are too insignificant… but it’s about speaking up in general. Every small voice counts for something. Every person who speaks up makes a difference, but it does take a community to make social change”.

Monica Baey, advocate and tech-facilitated sexual violence survivor, at Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019

After a Q&A segment that sourced questions from both online platform Slido and the floor, Xiu Xuan launched the Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt contest, which AWARE has put on in conjunction with the High Commission of Canada. For this contest, members of the public will submit proposals for projects aimed at preventing or dealing with IBSA.

Those interested can submit their proposals before 8 February next year. Successful applicants will receive funding of up to $6,000 and development support for a pilot phase over six months next year.

AWARE sees overall rise in cases involving technology-facilitated sexual violence, launches contest to combat image-based sexual abuse

This post was originally published as a press release on 25 November 2019.

25 November 2019 – Gender-equality group AWARE announced today that its Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) has seen an overall rise in cases across three years involving technology-facilitated sexual violence, from 47 in 2016 (out of 338 total cases), to 88 in 2017 (out of 515 total cases) and 118 in 2018 (out of 808 total cases).*

These are cases that involved actions enabled by digital communications technology, such as social media and messaging platforms, digital cameras and dating apps. These behaviours range from unwanted and explicit sexual messages and calls (including attempts to coerce sex or a relationship), to a specific category of image-based sexual abuse.

● Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is the non-consensual creation, obtainment and/or distribution of sexual images or videos of another person. It also includes threats to carry out the above. These images can be so-called “nudes” taken with the subject’s consent as well as images taken without the subject’s knowledge (e.g. via “upskirting” and placing hidden cameras in public places). IBSA cases seen by SACC doubled over the three years, from 30 in 2016 to 64 in 2018.

● Technology-facilitated sexual violence can be committed by anyone (acquaintances, family members, colleagues, intimate partners or even strangers). Almost half of IBSA cases seen from 2016-2018 were committed by an intimate partner. On the other hand, perpetrators of unwanted or explicit communication were likely to be someone in the survivor’s workplace (close to 40%). The perpetrator profile, where known, cut across age, class, educational background and race.

● From 2016 to 2018, 1 in 2 IBSA survivors reached out to SACC within one month of the incident (with 25% reaching out within 72 hours of the incident). This is unusually fast for cases seen by the centre — in 2018, for example, 58% of cases came to SACC within a year of the incident.

● Of the cases known to SACC over these three years, 1 in 2 IBSA survivors made a police report — a higher proportion than overall SACC cases, of which only 30% report their incident to any authority.

These statistics were presented by Head of SACC Anisha Joseph at the event “Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019”, which took place Monday evening at Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar. With approximately 150 attendees, the event marked both the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the one-year anniversary of AWARE’s Aim For Zero campaign against sexual violence.

Anisha Joseph, Head of AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre

Said Ms Joseph: “The conversation and media coverage on sexual violence in Singapore this year has largely been dominated by technology-facilitated sexual violence, from numerous incidents taking place on university campuses, to Telegram groups created for the dissemination of explicit images. We believe that public awareness of this issue — and public urgency to curb it — has never been higher.”

“Technology is not the villain here,” she added. “It is not the cause of sexual violence, but a medium through which violence is facilitated by perpetrators—we see it ‘folded into’ pre-existing practices of violence, harm and harassment. New factors — such as the widespread availability of recording technology, and our 24/7 channels of communication — make these actions all the more pervasive and damaging today.”

The “Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019” event comprised a panel discussion featuring speakers Monica Baey, Amber Hawkes, Benny Bong and Priscilla Chia. Lim Xiu Xuan, a senior case manager at SACC, served as moderator.

The discussion covered the psychological and practical impact of tech-facilitated sexual violence on survivors, as well as the recourse options available to them under the Penal Code and Protection From Harassment Act. Ms Hawkes also gave an overview of Facebook’s policies for user safety, and walked attendees through the process of reporting a violation to the social media platform. However, panelists agreed that there are limitations to survivors’ abilities to contain the spread of images once they are uploaded, and limitations on how accountable perpetrators are across platforms.

“At Facebook, we take a comprehensive approach to making our platform a safer place for women, including writing clear policies and developing cutting-edge technology to prevent the spread of non-consensually shared intimate images and to protect women from harassment,” said Ms Hawkes. “We’re also committed to partnering with women’s rights groups, online safety organisations and experts around the world to get feedback on ways we can ensure that we’re a platform where people feel safe.”

“The misuse of technology to violate another is, sadly, another manifestation of how we can exploit others,” said Mr Bong. “Because technology can allow for a degree of anonymity, perpetrators may think that they can get away with these crimes. Our laws must keep abreast of this development.”

Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019 at Lifelong Learning Institute on 25 November 2019

The second part of Monday’s event saw AWARE launching a contest in conjunction with the High Commission of Canada. “Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt: The Contest” invites members of the public to submit their ideas for projects to combat image-based sexual abuse. Proposals will be accepted via AWARE’s website (www.aware.org.sg/tfsvcontest) until 7 February 2020. Winning projects will receive a “kickstarter” sum of up to $6,000, as well as development support for a pilot phase over six months in 2020.

“Women are disproportionately affected by a range of unintended negative consequences enabled by technology,” said Canadian High Commissioner Lynn McDonald. “Canada is committed to promoting gender equality by addressing gender-based violence, which impedes women and girls from realising their full potential. We therefore are pleased to support this important initiative and look forward to collaborating with the contest winners.”

Find SACC’s 2017 report “Technology and Sexual Violence” here.

*This post was updated in 2020 to reflect more accurate numbers of TFSV cases seen by SACC. The numbers previously reported were: 46 in 2016 (out of 338 total cases), to 99 in 2017 (out of 515 total cases) and 124 in 2018 (out of 808 total cases).

Photographs by Kaspen Paraskakis Narayan.

 

Annex

Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt 2019: Panelists

● Monica Baey, advocate for sexual violence survivors
As a Communications student at the National University of Singapore, Monica Baey stood up for herself after an experience of sexual voyeurism, eventually driving a major shift in attitudes towards sexual violence. Monica was honoured with AWARE’s “Woman of Courage” Award at the 2019 AWARE Ball in early November.

● Amber Hawkes, Head of Safety Policy, APAC at Facebook
Amber Hawkes works with NGOs, academics and policymakers to improve Facebook policies, products, tools and resources to keep its community safe. Previously, Amber spent over a decade combatting human trafficking and online child sexual exploitation.

● Benny Bong, counsellor and Society Against Family Violence president
Benny Bong is a counsellor, lecturer and trainer. As director and principal consultant at The Family Therapist, he has a long history with working against violence in the home. He is a founding member and current president of the non-profit Society Against Family Violence. Benny received the AWARE Hero Award in 2011.

● Priscilla Chia, litigator and SACC volunteer lawyer
Lawyer Priscilla Chia’s practice focuses on commercial, public interest and criminal litigation, as well as non-contentious corporate advisory. Outside of her legal practice, Priscilla is actively involved in non-profit work with AWARE and other civil society organisations.

Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: Some SACC Cases

Case A: The client sent “nudes” to her previous partner, who promised to delete the images after receiving them. However, her intimate images were instead shared online without her knowledge. Friends and acquaintances sent her messages over various social media platforms to let her know that they saw the images. She told SACC that she has been struggling with suicidal thoughts ever since. She feels shame, regret, confusion and depression. She credits her daughter for helping her stay alive.

Case B: The client works in the same department as the perpetrator, who sends her unwanted sexual messages. She blocked him on WhatsApp, but he contacted her on Facebook; she blocked him on Facebook, but he contacted her on Instagram; then Skype. Eventually he took to sending her emails through his work email.

Case C: The client was harassed by a former intimate partner whom she met online. After she stopped seeing him, the perpetrator threatened to reveal her intimate images to others, including her current partner. He also continued to stalk her: He took her photo on the MRT without her knowledge, and at one point assaulted her. Even though she has blocked him on all platforms, she is worried that he will act upon his threats to release her photos, or show up to her house to physically hurt her. She is also hesitant to file a police report or take legal action, because the images were taken during consensual sex, and others have told her that this is her fault.

Case D: Without her permission, the client’s boyfriend uploaded videos of them having sex. She found out because two acquaintances approached her to inform her that they had seen the video. Her boyfriend told her that he did not know why he did it. The client agreed not to go to the police if he would help her to take the video down from the Internet. However, although he contacted several websites, only some of them have responded and taken it down. The client is increasingly paranoid about others seeing the video, which would have a serious impact on her professional and family life.

AWARE’s statement on the “outrage of modesty” posters

AWARE posted a brief comment on social media on 14 November about two new “outrage of modesty” posters by the Singapore Police Force.

Our intentions were to contribute constructively to the ongoing public conversation about sexual violence in Singapore. Our earlier comments did not fully spell out our position on this, which is set out below.

Sexual violence is a pervasive problem in our society, and language (visual or verbal) plays a huge part in shaping how our culture views sexual violence, even in very subtle ways.

It is a complex and emotive issue, with nuances that cannot reasonably be encapsulated in a single poster.

That said, it is important for AWARE, as a gender equality advocacy group, to discuss the negative impact that public education materials may have on women and sexual assault survivors, even when these implications are unintended.

The post was not targeted at the Singapore Police Force (SPF), with whom we have worked and continue to collaborate. The Singapore Police Force, the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Home Affairs have been extremely dynamic and effective in the last few years to enhance sexual assault laws, and reduce the trauma faced by sexual assault survivors while they step up their enforcement efforts. Much progress has been made and the commitment of the State to address sexual assault issues is not in question. We are heartened to see the State commit resources to continue its crime prevention efforts.

We fully support SPF’s key deterrence message—that molest is a crime recognised by the state, and that perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions. It is critical that the consequences of committing sexual violence be known to the general public. We were not suggesting otherwise and there was no criticism directed towards this.

We also want to recognise that these new posters are a significant improvement from some of the older “outrage of modesty” posters, with taglines like “Don’t get rubbed the wrong way”, which seemed to place responsibility of preventing sexual harassment on the potential victim, instead of on the perpetrator. We are, however, concerned with how the message was conveyed in these new posters. Namely:

a) the visual motif of the price tag on the molester’s hand

b) the tagline “2 years’ imprisonment: It is not worth it”.

Putting a price on molest likens the victim to an object on a store shelf that can be purchased if one is willing to pay the price. The poster does not say that this act is wrong, only that it is expensive. This analogy has the effect of erasing the experience of the victim and any viewer’s empathy for the victim.

AWARE takes a survivor-centric approach that underscores each individual’s dignity and rights. And we would like to see all ads, public-service or otherwise, informed by that belief. Survivors have, in fact, written to us to share their discomfort with the posters’ messaging.

We understand that these posters are part of a series that also target theft of property and rioting. While the price tag approach may work for those crimes, they do not work so well when applied to sexual assault crimes. These posters, while targeted at perpetrators, will be read by survivors as well, who may be put off by the messaging.

As the posters had been posted in public, at MRT stations where they had already seen by many commuters, we thought it was appropriate to post our comments in public. These ideas affect all of society, so there is value in opening this discourse to the public.

Given how complex and nuanced these matters are, we would be very happy to offer feedback and suggestions on any posters that the Police and other authorities wish to launch before they are published.

2019 AWARE Award Winners: Teo You Yenn, Monica Baey, Liyana Dhamirah

At our Time Traveller’s Ball on 2 November 2019, we handed out our annual AWARE Awards, celebrating individuals and organisations that promote gender equality in Singapore. This year, the winners were sociologist Teo You Yenn (“Woman of Insight”), sexual harassment survivor Monica Baey (“Woman of Courage”) and “Homeless” author Liyana Dhamirah (“Woman of Resilience”).

Watch to learn more about how these three women have changed Singapore for the better over the past year.

Video created with the help of WomenTalk.

The Art of Advocacy: how AWARE’s research and advocacy create change

“Advocacy”. Maybe you’re still unclear about what that really means, or what it looks like in practice.

Here’s a short primer on our work at AWARE: how our services for women (like our Women’s Helpline and Sexual Assault Care Centre), along with our research, evolve into our campaigns for more gender-equal policies and mindsets.

This is how social change builds in Singapore. It can be a slow and difficult process, but when it succeeds (and over AWARE’s 34 years, we’ve seen quite a few successes!), there’s nothing like it.

 

This video was screened at AWARE’s Time Traveller’s Ball on 2 November 2019. 
Illustrations by Elizabeth Goh.
Animation by Erica Tan.

Position Filled: Graphic Designer (Project), Catalyse Consulting

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

Catalyse Consulting is looking for a dynamic, creative and resourceful individual to create high-impact and attractive visuals for the rebranding of our sales and marketing collaterals; design an icon library (20-30 icons), infographics, and standardise PowerPoint slide decks to enhance our corporate image.

Position: Graphic Designer
Department: Catalyse Consulting
Commitment: Approximately two months
Project fee: $4,000

Job Description:

The ideal graphic designer should be able to:

  • develop a solid understanding Catalyse Consulting and AWARE’s vision and our target audience;
  • work independently but interact well with other staff members to gather information for the design process;
  • conceptualise messages into visually appealing and attractive collaterals (for eg, icon library, infographics, and PowerPoint slide decks) to connect to local and international audiences;
  • be proactive and responsive in delivering high-quality designs that support the team.

Requirements:

  • Diploma/Degree in Graphics Design or related field; or proven track record/portfolio
  • Expert proficiency in design and documentation development tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator and Microsoft Office, etc.
  • Displays sensitivity and adaptability to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences
  • Able to commit to a full-time, short-term contract to complete the project.
  • All resumes should be accompanied by portfolio and/or website link.

(Read our privacy policy here.)

Please note that due to the large number of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview. If you have any questions about this position, please email careers@aware.org.sg.

10 April 2020: Superwomen in Concert

Nearly 10 years ago, AWARE celebrated its 25th anniversary with the Superwomen in Concert gala, to resounding success. The concert, which featured Singapore’s best and brightest female musical talents, was an unforgettable night for everyone lucky enough to attend.

To mark its upcoming 35th anniversary in 2020, AWARE is bringing back this star-studded charity event. On 10 April, Superwomen in Concert 2020 will celebrate the talents, imagination and tenacity of the women in Singapore who dare to dream.

Conceptualised, produced and directed by the indomitable entertainer (and force of nature) Pam Oei, Superwomen in Concert 2020 will be headlined by stars such as Stefanie Sun, Rahimah Rahim, the irreverent Dim Sum Dollies, female pop stars Narelle Kheng and Sandra Riley Tang of the Sam Willows, rapper Lady Kash, groundbreaking comedian Sharul Channa, and many more. Incredible music and fun with a healthy dose of female empowerment: what more could you want?

We’re currently looking for sponsors interested in supporting this monumental night.

Email Corinna at corinna.lim@aware.org.sg or Desiree at fundraising@aware.org.sg to inquire.