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Position Filled: Case Manager, Sexual Assault Care Centre

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) is looking for a Case Manager to support survivors of sexual assault along their journeys of recovery and help SACC in its day-to-day operations as well as programme development. The role also requires supporting the SACC team in advocacy and project-based work.

If you are passionate about helping survivors reclaim control of their lives after experiencing trauma, join AWARE in its fight against sexual violence. You’ll play an essential, hands-on role at SACC—the only centre of its kind in Singapore. Read more about it here.

Position: Case Manager
Department: CARE – SACC
Commitment: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 40 hours a week (Permanent position)
Salary range: $3,500 – $3,800
Starting date: Immediate

Job Description:

  • Provide high-quality and timely case management services to survivors of sexual violence who approach AWARE through various modes (calls, messages, walk-ins, referrals and other platforms)

  • Conduct intake interviews and case sessions to assess client needs, risk and protective factors

  • Explore the clients’ options and plan interventions to ensure their best interest. This includes but is not limited to: gathering and sharing relevant information, exploring options and accompanying them through the justice system, advocating for their rights, advocating for survivor-centric policies and procedures around sexual violence, etc.

  • Collaborate with the client to develop a safety and/or care plan that addresses the identified needs and concerns

  • Coordinate internal and/or external services and support aligned with the care plan created with the client. Internal services include counselling, legal clinic, accompaniment through the civil or criminal justice system, etc. External coordination may include liaising with other agencies and institutions (e.g. criminal and civil justice system, medical system, social service system)

  • Maintain casework documentation in a timely manner for reporting and analysis, such as but not limited to case assessment and case plan, work done, client feedback and correspondence with relevant parties

  • Provide support to other SACC services and programme development work, including but not limited to: covering for other case managers during assigned legal clinic hours; project management of SACC initiatives and programmes; creating and improving standard operating procedures for SACC

  • Committing to continual learning and service improvement through supervision, knowledge and case-sharing, and discussions on service and process standards

Preferred Candidate Profile:

  • Singapore Citizen/Permanent Resident with minimum two (2) years of related experience working in support of individuals needing help (e.g. community work, social work, helpline staffing, counselling, befriending), preferably in the Singapore context. Experience with conducting group work is a plus

  • Educational qualifications in social work, counselling, psychology or related fields preferred, with trauma management credentials a bonus (training will be provided as needed)

  • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE. Experience or interest in empowering individuals through case advocacy is a plus

  • Fidelity to clients’ best interests through a strong commitment to confidentiality on client information, and a strong commitment to empowering clients with knowledge on their rights, options and potential challenges

  • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written) to connect with clients, consult with colleagues, and correspond with relevant parties

  • Good analytical skills and ability to work independently

  • Superb time-management skills and ability to meet deadlines

  • Strong project-planning skills: highly creative, adaptable and a self-starter

  • Proficiency with computers, Google Drive apps and MS Office, especially Excel and Word

You must read and acknowledge our Privacy Statement 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.

 

A Recap: Thank You, Next? Town Hall on the White Paper

The landmark White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, launched on 28 March 2022, has sparked a flurry of responses from the Singapore public, running the gamut from excitement to disappointment.

Accordingly, AWARE held an informal virtual town hall on Thursday, 14 April 2022, to allow AWARE’s partner organisations, members, donors and volunteers, as well as participants in AWARE’s 2021 community discussions, a space to give voice to their various reactions. The Zoom meeting featured speakers from the Disabled People’s Association (DPA), Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), Sayoni, Project X, Daughters of Tomorrow (DOT) and Talk Your Heart Out (TYHO). In all, around 60 people attended the two-hour session, entitled “Thank You, Next”.

Thanking gender equality advocates

Starting off the town hall, AWARE’s Head of Research and Advocacy, Shailey Hingorani, reflected on the historic nature of the government’s review of women’s issues. She then discussed AWARE’s response: the submission of an Omnibus Report, as well as community discussions that resulted in seven policy wishlists. On behalf of AWARE, Shailey expressed a heartfelt thanks to all AWARE volunteers, discussion participants, partner organisations and everyone else involved in the advocacy efforts leading up to the White Paper. She added that there is still more to do, given that, for instance, the Paper’s framing of gender equality is still situated within heteronormative values: “None of us is free until all of us are free.”

AWARE Executive Director Corinna Lim shared her initial impressions of the Paper—that it represented a huge breakthrough for Singapore. Yet she noted that while the Paper went “broad”, covering a lot of different gendered issues, it did not go very deep. The White Paper is by no means the be-all and end-all of advocating for gender equality, Corinna reminded attendees; as Minister K. Shanmugam himself pointed out, it is just a starting point.

Positives and negatives

During the speaker segments, representatives from civil society organisations were asked which recommendations in the White Paper they felt the most positive about, what they felt was missing, what impact they foresaw the Paper having and what targets they thought the government should set out to achieve in the coming years.

Kaylee Kua, DOT’s Senior Manager of Programs and Operation, said DOT welcomed announcements such as the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs), as well as divorce by mutual agreement (DMA). However, Kaylee added that the Paper’s recommendations on caregivers were insufficient as long-term measures for Singapore’s ageing population, a sentiment that several other speakers echoed.

Jaya Anil Kumar, HOME’s Senior Research and Advocacy Manager, noted that while migrant domestic workers (MDWs) carry out a substantial portion of caregiving duties in Singapore, they were excluded from the White Paper’s recommendations on caregiving. Namely, she highlighted issues such as a lack of compensation for MDWs when they are injured during their work, as well as the lack of legislation for 24-hour rest days. Jaya added that MDWs need the right to switch employers, given that their work permits are tied to their current employer. She also brought up the importance of official personnel being sensitive to MDWs’ needs and circumstances when MDWs report abuse, especially abuse experienced in their employers’ homes.

Vivienne Wee, a former family caregiver and one of AWARE’s founding members, also discussed the caregiving aspects of the White Paper, observing that it did not recommend any new policy on the subject. Vivienne also commented that the increase to the Home Caregiving Grant proposed by the Paper (depending on beneficiaries’ income levels, the Grant will either be raised from $200 to $250 or $400 per month) is too small an amount.

Chirag Agarwal, TYHO’s co-founder and an AWARE volunteer, discussed the Paper’s title and why the term “Women’s Development” was used rather than gender equality. He shared that he was most excited by the “Mindset Shifts” section of the Paper, which he saw as a positive sign, specifically the recommendation to address negative stereotypes such as the expectation for men to be breadwinners. However, he added that the Paper could have gone further by addressing the issue of toxic masculinity. Chirag named several contexts in which this could be done, from National Service (NS) to social norms in boys’ schools.

Max Soh, DPA’s Advocacy Executive, said that the Paper lacked references to disabled people overall. For example, while some groups have cheered the announcement that TAFEP guidelines will be enshrined into an anti-discrimination law, the lack of clarity on what constitutes fair or unfair treatment is a worry for the disabled community. Max added that disabled women and girls experience violence against women (VAW) at a much higher rate than the non-disabled, and that this, along with the various systemic realities disabled women and girls face surrounding such higher rates, was not given enough attention in the White Paper’s section on VAW.

Vanessa Ho, Project X’s Executive Director, expressed that while she was glad to see sections on VAW and mindset shifts, they still left sex workers and nightlife industries unacknowledged. Vanessa added that it remains challenging for sex workers to report threats and harassment to the police.

Tan Joo Hymn, Programme Director for AWARE’s Birds & Bees, focused on the VAW section as well, specifically the action on promoting “values of respect and safety through education”. Overall, she highlighted several areas that were missing from the Paper’s recommendations on sex education: The role of parents and the training of teachers are both not mentioned, nor are there meaningful mentions of consent education. Additionally, Joo Hymn added that the general emphasis on sex education seems to be on protecting one’s self, without discussions of active bystanders or perpetrators.

Jean Chong, Sayoni’s co-founder, also expressed thoughts on where the White Paper could be improved with regards to sex education. She elaborated that the ability for marginalised groups such as LBTQ women to even be a part of the conversation was limited, revealing biases that were inherent to the consultation process overall.

Further discussion

In discussion sections between speaker segments, attendees asked about various topics, ranging from the practical value of women’s representation in the workplace to how civil society organisations collaborate on advocacy.

Regarding representation in the workplace, Wynthia Goh—the Head of NEXT Digital at NCS, as well as an AWARE board member—stated that mere representation alone is insufficient for a mindset shift at the workplace, and that we need to go deeper, towards new policies and norms.

Speakers also reflected on how civil society organisations work together, turning the conversation towards post-White Paper efforts. Jaya explained how HOME and its partners typically identify a topic that resonates for multiple organisations, after which they work on joint statements, research papers and/or events, and take actions on shared values.

Corinna added that as a result of the White Paper, new groups and joint advocacy projects could emerge in the future.

AWARE elects 2022-2024 board at 37th Annual General Meeting, with veteran journalist and comms professional Ong Soh Chin announced as President

This post was originally published as a press release on 26 April 2022.

On Saturday, 23 April 2022, gender-equality group AWARE held its 37th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elected a new board for the 2022-2024 term.

The AGM was held over Zoom, marking the third time that AWARE has held a virtual AGM, after the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated that 2020 and 2021 editions also take place via video-conferencing. The meeting was attended by 87 AWARE members, including both ordinary members (Singaporean women) and associate members (men, non-binary individuals and non-Singaporeans).

During the board election, Ong Soh Chin ran unopposed for her first term as AWARE President, succeeding 2018-2022 President Margaret Thomas. A former AWARE board member herself, Ms Ong is a veteran journalist and editor with over 30 years of experience in the industry, covering arts, entertainment, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, politics and current affairs. After a long career at The Straits Times, Ms Ong headed communications and editorial departments at Netflix, Institute of Policy Studies and Shell. She is now an editorial and PR consultant.

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Soh Chin as the next AWARE President,” said Ms Thomas, a founding member of AWARE. “Having known and worked with her for years, I’m well-acquainted with her extraordinary energy, level-headed judgement and abiding passion for gender issues. She has already contributed so much in her time with AWARE and I look forward to the new heights she is set to scale.”

“It is a great honour to take the helm of an organisation that has made such an indelible impact on Singapore society,” said Ms Ong. “The next two years will be a critical period for AWARE. With the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, Singapore is entering an exciting new chapter in its journey to gender equality. There is much to be done and I look forward to starting that work with AWARE staff, volunteers, partners and supporters, as well as my inspiring fellow board members.”

Incumbent AWARE Treasurer Aarathi Arumugam retained her position on the board. The other seven positions were contested, and the successful candidates were: Elisa Kang, Fikri Alkhatib, Kathy Park (named Assistant Treasurer), Laavanya Kathiravelu, Penelope Shone, Teo You Yenn and Zheng Huifen. Immediate Past President Margaret Thomas rounds out the board. While most of the 2022-2024 board have served at least one previous term, three members—Fikri Alkhatib, Kathy Park and Laavanya Kathiravelu—are newcomers to the AWARE board. At 29, Fikri Alkhatib is also AWARE’s youngest-ever board member since the organisation instituted a board in 2010.

Further assignment of board positions (1st and 2nd Vice President and Secretary) will take place at the new board’s first meeting in May. The election was preceded by a “Meet the Candidates” session on 18 April, where all 10 candidates introduced themselves to the wider membership and took questions.

“Board diversity has been an increasingly prominent part of the conversation on equality in Singapore,” noted AWARE Executive Director Corinna Lim. “Like any organisation, we need our board to be as forward-thinking, dynamic and inclusive as possible. I’m excited therefore that the new AWARE board features not just ethnic diversity, but age diversity—with members in their 20s and their 70s—and a range of professional experience, with individuals from academia, civil service, law and different corporate environments. It goes to show how indispensible feminist ideas and spaces are to women of all generations and backgrounds in Singapore. The breadth of AWARE’s efforts is made possible by the rich, multifaceted vision of our leadership.”

 

Annex

AWARE Board 2022-2024: Positions and Biographies

President: Ong Soh Chin is an editorial and PR consultant. Previously, she was Southeast Asia PR Director at Netflix, overseeing Publicity and Communications for Southeast Asia. Soh Chin has also served as Deputy Director, External Relations and Strategic Planning at the Institute of Policy Studies, as well as Asia-Pacific Editor and Speechwriter with the global editorial team at Shell. A veteran journalist and editor who has covered the arts, entertainment, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, politics and current affairs in her career, she worked on different desks at The Straits Times, where she wrote regularly about women’s rights and gender equality. She is currently pursuing a part-time postgraduate diploma in Counselling Psychology.

Treasurer: Aarathi Arumugam is an entrepreneur whose career trajectory has taken her along different paths, from corporations to volunteer organisations to start-ups. Since becoming a member in 2009, Aarathi has volunteered with AWARE as a trainer, educating and raising awareness about workplace sexual harassment and comprehensive sexuality education. In 2019, she also conceptualised and executed a series of events called Kitchen Movements, to raise awareness and funds for a women’s charity in Singapore. Aarathi also currently serves as Daughters Of Tomorrow’s Financial Controller.

Assistant Treasurer: Kathy Park is President at CooperVision, spearheading Asia-Pacific business for the optical company. She has worked for various companies, such as Essilor and Johnson & Johnson, with a mission of improving people’s lives by improving their vision. She has played an active role in organising and advocating for women leadership at the workplace. With her experience leading a global company and serving on corporate boards, she is excited to be part of bigger changes to come in the landscape of gender equality.

Board Members:

Elisa Kang spent 13 years in wealth management advising clients on asset allocation and impact investments, before pursuing a Master’s in Counselling at Monash University in 2014. From 2016-18, Elisa worked as a part-time counsellor at Singapore Management University. She began her involvement in gender justice in 2007, volunteering in a microfinance consultancy in India and an NGO fighting violence against women and trafficking in Nepal. Elisa has been involved with AWARE since 2016: as a trainer with Catalyse, a counsellor, a volunteer Helpliner and a project manager for the Women’s Helpline expansion.

Fikri Alkhatib has been an AWARE member since 2012 and has volunteered on a number of advocacy and research initiatives, including the We Can! campaign to end violence against women and the Women’s Action website for SG50. She has a Masters in Sociology from Columbia University and is a former Public Service Commission scholar. Fikri recently left the civil service for a career in the non-profit sector.

Laavanya Kathiravelu is Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University. Her research sits at the intersections of international migration, race and ethnic studies and contemporary urban diversity, particularly in Asia and the Persian Gulf. Her first book was Migrant Dubai (2016), which interrogated the experiences of low-wage migrant workers in the emirate of Dubai. She has also published widely on issues of race, inequality and migration in Singapore. Prior to joining NTU, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. She was also a Fung Fellow at Princeton University between 2015-16. Laavanya is a board member of migrant welfare organisation HOME. In 2022, she is a Fulbright Scholar based at the City University of New York.

Penelope Shone was born in New Zealand. She has been a resident of Singapore since 1985, and an AWARE member for 20 years. Her career has unfolded in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, she led international public affairs and communications for General Electric across 150 countries. Prior to that, she was a managing director at Citigroup for 12 years, leading the company’s public affairs, communications and citizenship strategies across Asia Pacific. This included the supervision of 20,000 volunteers and $18 million in annual grants to NGOs.

Teo You Yenn has been a member and volunteer at AWARE since 2004. She is a sociologist whose research and teaching focus on poverty and inequality, governance and state-society dynamics, gender and class. She is the author of Neoliberal Morality in Singapore: How family policies make state and society (Routledge, 2011) and This Is What Inequality Looks Like (Ethos Books, 2018). She is one of the founding editors of AcademiaSG, a platform that promotes scholarship on Singapore and publicly engaged research.

Zheng Huifen has been an AWARE member since 2009 and is now a life member. She has volunteered with AWARE in various capacities, including the legal clinic, Helpliner training in Mandarin and updates to AWARE’s Constitution. Apart from AWARE, Huifen was a committee member of the Humanist Society (Singapore) between 2012 and 2017. At HSS, she helped to create a safe space for people identifying as atheist, agnostic, freethinking or secular. A corporate lawyer with a technology and payments focus, Huifen is also a founding member of the pro bono arm of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Singapore.

Position Filled: We are hiring! Part-Time Helpline Executives, Sexual Assault Care Centre

AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) department is looking for two part-time Helpline Executives. They will serve as first responders for sexual assault survivors, and support staff and case managers in various projects.

If you are passionate about helping survivors reclaim control of their lives after experiencing trauma, join AWARE in its fight against sexual violence. You’ll play an essential, hands-on role at SACC—the only centre of its kind in Singapore. Read more about it here.

Position: Helpline Executive, Sexual Assault Care Centre
Department: CARE
Salary range: SGD$1,500 – $1,800
Term: Three-year contract
Starting date: 1 May 2022 or 1 July 2022 (two vacancies)
Work schedule: Monday to Friday, 2 – 6pm (starting in May) / 10am – 2pm (starting in July)

Job Description:

  • Ensuring high-quality and timely response to people reaching out to SACC through calls, WhatsApp, emails, walk-ins, referrals and other platforms
  • Scheduling clients with case managers, counsellors, etc. via phone, emails and/or face-to-face
  • Documenting and filing confidential notes, intake forms, etc.
  • Identifying and improving current processes, and coordinating updates of SOPs
  • Supporting staff and volunteers on various projects and ad-hoc programmes as required
  • Providing administrative and operational support to SACC

Requirements:

  • At least 1 year of work experience in a related field
  • Relevant educational qualifications such as social work, counselling, psychology or related field preferred
  • Must be proficient in English (verbal and written) and a second language (Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil, verbal and written)
  • Training on trauma is a bonus
  • Beneficial to have completed the four-month AWARE Helpliner Training
  • In addition to passion and commitment to AWARE’s mission and vision, we look for candidates who demonstrate the following:
      • Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written)
      • Good analytical skills and commitment to confidentiality
      • Superb organisational and time management skills
      • Ability to use initiative and judgement to solve problems independently
      • Experience or interest in supporting or empowering individuals
      • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
      • Computer-savvy, proficient in Google Workspace and MS Office (Word and Excel)

You must read and acknowledge our Privacy Statement 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, email careers@aware.org.sg.

Sexual Assault Care Centre Closed 25-29 April, Reopening 4 May 2022

Our Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) will be closed from Monday, 25 April to Friday, 29 April 2022. This week-long closure will allow SACC to focus on operational changes that will strengthen the team’s capabilities. We seek your kind understanding and patience during this period.

All operations will fully resume from Wednesday, 4 May 2022 onwards, after the public holiday.

If you have experienced sexual assault within the last 72 hours, you may refer to this page for suggested actions, or consider other resources:

  • Call the National Anti-Violence Helpline at 1800 777 0000. They operate 24/7 and will be able to provide support for any violence you are facing.
  • For emergencies, please call 999 for the police.
  • Call 1767 for the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, including thoughts of suicide.

Mentorship programmes not enough to improve gender parity, board diversity

This letter was originally published in The Straits Times on 14 April 2022. 

Career mentorship programmes were one of the proposed action plans in the recently endorsed White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development to support gender diversity on boards (Mentoring aspiring women directors to be board-ready, April 7).

Mentorship can certainly support aspiring female directors in better understanding their path to directorship and having increased networking opportunities.

Those who are mentored may also go on to become mentors themselves, effectively creating a pipeline of female directors.

But we must also recognise mentorship’s limits as a means of improving gender representation. Mentorship is hardly the only, or the most expedient, strategy we can adopt to improve gender parity on boards.

First, companies should use fairer methods such as board matching services to recruit directors.

Currently, companies rely heavily on personal networks, a process that tends to be highly biased.

Given that most boards are male-dominated, this recruitment process creates a feedback loop that contributes to skewed gender representation.

Also, many women face challenges when it comes to networking, as they may shoulder more family and caregiving responsibilities and thus have less time to spare than their male counterparts.

Formal search and nomination processes should be implemented to source strong candidates for boards.

In addition, boards in Singapore tend to be relatively entrenched.

For instance, the 2016 average tenure for board members in Singapore (9.4 years for male directors and 7.4 years for female directors) was longer than the regional average, which ranged from 3.1 to 8.7 years for male directors and from 2.4 to 5.8 years for female directors.

Renewing boards more often can give female aspirants more opportunities.

Lastly, we should remember to contextualise our low female board representation within the larger landscape of gender inequality at work.

Women don’t face a single glass ceiling at the pinnacle of their careers – they face obstacles at every stage of the professional pipeline. For instance, occupations and management functions tend to be gender-segregated.

Consequently, women do not have sufficient opportunities to gain the varied experiences required to move further up the path towards directorship.

Tackling systemic biases that hinder women at lower rungs will ultimately pay dividends at the board level.

Apoorva Shukla

Executive, Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory

Association of Women for Action and Research

AWARE welcomes the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, identifies “missed opportunities” that deserve more attention

This post was originally published as a press release on 29 March 2022.

29 March 2022 – Increased financial support for caregivers to the elderly. An anti-discrimination law prohibiting both workplace harassment and further retaliation against affected parties. A new set of Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA). More comprehensive education on gender roles and stereotypes in schools. The expansion of the National Anti-Violence Helpline service to assist victim-survivors of sexual violence.

These are some of the measures that gender-equality organisation AWARE celebrated on Monday, 28 March, as the government submitted its White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development to Parliament.

For one, AWARE applauded the promise of guidance and training for SMEs to put in place proper grievance handling processes and workplace harassment policies. Specific measures to prevent retaliation—the prospect of which is a major factor in under-reporting of harassment—also demonstrate that policy-makers have been attentive to survivors’ needs.

“We’re happy to see the strategy to establish more positive norms in workplaces via legislation,” said AWARE Executive Director Corinna Lim. “The government has stated that legislation is not a panacea for all workplace ills; certainly discriminatory and harassing behaviours are underpinned by entrenched biases that need to be unlearned. However, the new law should make for both an effective deterrent and a strong signal to all of society that Singapore must be led by fairness and inclusion.”

The enhancement of Home Caregiving Grant, the monthly quantum of which will be raised from $200 to up to $400 depending on household income, will help alleviate care-related expenses, noted Ms Lim. “The government’s recognition of the financial cost of caregiving is a significant policy shift. Given the outpouring of caregivers’ voices in recent years calling for more financial support, including in AWARE’s own 2019 ‘Make Care Count’ report, this is a timely announcement that should make a material difference to many women’s lives.”

“We wholeheartedly agree with the White Paper’s emphasis on dismantling gendered stereotypes about care,” added Ms Lim. “On that note, we were hoping that this would herald a tangible increase in paternity leave—ideally, to equalise it with maternity leave—not simply more encouragement and reminders from HR. And to better assist eldercarers, we were hoping to see paid eldercare leave extended to working caregivers, no matter their gender.”

The group sought clarification on other policy announcements as well. For example, will new legislation to tackle workplace discrimination and harassment also include means to keep employers accountable for harassment that occurs under their purview? Will the Tripartite Guidelines on FWAs explain the grounds upon which employers must “fairly” consider FWA requests, and take into account jobs for which FWAs are not appropriate (possibly providing alternative benefits such as eldercare leave)? Will the revised Nurturing Early Learners framework to teach safety to preschoolers be in line with UNESCO guidelines for that age group, given that the existing Character and Citizenship Education does not adhere to UNESCO’s emphasis on consent education? Why does the new policy allowing elective egg freezing for women between 21 and 35 years of age only permit legally married couples to use said eggs for procreation?

In July 2021, AWARE contributed a 242-page omnibus report, titled “An Omnibus on Gender Equality”, towards the government’s review of gender equality. The report comprised 88 of the group’s collected recommendations on issues faced by women over their life course. That same month, AWARE also released a series of seven “policy wishlists” produced in collaboration with 191 members of the public. Under the banner “Reimagining Equality”, the seven wishlists covered issues faced by single parents; migrant spouses; victims of workplace harassment and bullying; victims of workplace discrimination; students at Institutes of Higher Learning; sexuality education stakeholders; and men.

Ms Lim observed that the above reports covered a broader demographic of women in Singapore than the White Paper has done. “Though it brings promise for some groups of women in Singapore, the White Paper makes almost no mention of other communities who face their own sets of challenges, such as migrant domestic workers, migrant spouses, religious and ethnic minorities, and LBT [lesbian, bisexual and transgender] women. These absences are puzzling, seeing that those women are valued members of society who contribute greatly to Singapore. Advancing gender equality means removing barriers for all individuals, not just some.”

AWARE’s Omnibus Report for example included suggestions to tackle discrimination and violence against LGBTQ persons. It also suggested better protections for domestic workers, such as stronger regulation of work hours and clearly articulated contracts; and the provision of greater security, subsidies and work eligibility to all migrant spouses via the Long-Term Visit Pass Plus scheme.

“This White Paper is a historic move towards equality in Singapore. Yet there are notable missed opportunities that would have set us on an accelerated roadmap to progress—for the whole of society, not just ‘women’ as the Paper’s title inadvertently suggests,” said Ms Lim. “Instead of hewing society along conventional lines, our policies should better reflect Singapore’s diverse collective of lives and experiences. We hope that some additional measures will be ushered in when the government conducts its mid-point review in 2027.”

Starting 1 March 2022: AWARE is GST-registered

As of 1 March 2022, AWARE is a Goods & Services Tax (GST)-registered organisation.

This change comes as a result of AWARE’s success in growing its diversity and inclusion consultancy and training services to expand and diversify our revenue sources. The strategy has helped us to promote safer, more gender-equal and inclusive workplaces and to expand our CARE services to meet the ever-increasing demand.

Accordingly, AWARE’s various products, including workshops and training programmes, merchandise and memberships, are now subject to GST (at the current 7% rate).

However, please note that, in an effort to ensure maximum accessibility and affordability, we are electing to absorb GST for all of our CARE services, such as counselling. If circumstances change such that we are no longer able to absorb GST for our services, we will provide notice to all our clients as far in advance as possible.

Donations to AWARE are not subject to GST.

Thank you for your understanding.

 

November 2022 update: Please note that with effect from 1 January 2023, the GST rate will be 8%; with effect from 1 January 2024, the GST rate will be 9%. All other above information still stands.

AWARE commends National Budget’s emphasis on vulnerable groups; awaits more gender-centric changes in 2022

This post was originally published as a press release on 19 February 2022.

Gender-equality organisation AWARE welcomed a range of measures announced yesterday by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in Singapore’s “Charting Our New Way Forward Together” National Budget.

In particular, the group was pleased to note the increased assistance available to low-wage workers and low-income households. This includes the expansion of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to various new sectors, such as cleaners and administrators; changes to the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme, such as the higher income qualifying cap, extension to a younger cohort (as AWARE had earlier proposed), and new maximum payout for people with disabilities; and enhancements to the Fresh Start Housing Scheme to allow more low-income families to secure stable housing. 

AWARE also welcomed the announced increase in wealth tax, comprising a hike in marginal personal income tax, property tax and luxury vehicle tax. The organisation had in previous Budget submissions recommended greater reliance on wealth tax over other regressive forms of tax, in order to build a more equal society. As such, the one-year delay and gradual raise of GST is a much-needed respite for households still reeling from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We appreciate this suite of policy changes aimed at narrowing the gaps in our society,” said Corinna Lim, AWARE’s Executive Director. “We hope to see these trends in social spending continue in years to come, to benefit even more demographics. For example, the PWM should be expanded into childcare and eldercare sectors as well, so that those workers—many of whom are women—can be assured of a decent wage.”

Lastly, AWARE expressed its support for the announced Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being, and it hopes that the personnel who form the taskforce are adequately trauma-informed.

In his speech, Minister Wong recalled the 6,000 participants in the government’s Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development, which were carried out last year. He cited enhanced caregiver support and stronger action against workplace discrimination as some of the ideas raised in these discussions. These are highly anticipated measures whose implementation cannot come soon enough for women around the island, noted Ms Lim. 

For example, AWARE’s 2019 research found that caregiving severely impacts the retirement adequacy of family caregivers, majority of whom are female; a significantly lower number of active female CPF members hit the Basic Requirement Sum (BRS) compared to their male counterparts. While the 3.5% increase in BRS over the next five years will benefit a segment of retirees, additional measures—such as annual automatic basic contributions by the state to low-balance individual CPF accounts—would help close this gender retirement gap.

“AWARE has in previous years urged the government to take an explicitly gendered lens when devising the Budget, to more efficiently and strategically offset gender inequalities,” Ms Lim added. “The COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted women in many different ways, has made that focus all the more critical. While we eagerly await the fruits of the government’s Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development, we stress that a gender-centric approach should not be relegated to one White Paper. We also call for Singapore’s social compact to include marginalised women such as migrant spouses and domestic workers, who contribute greatly to our nation.”