Here’s another chance to press the government for action on single parents’ housing

Today, a parliamentary petition – signed by seven single parents – was presented to Parliament, urging changes to HDB’s current housing policies for single-parent families.

AWARE worked closely with MP Louis Ng to make this happen. Like you, we believe that our housing policies must support ALL parents and children in their striving for stable family lives.

This legislative push was sent to the Public Petitions Committee. Parliament was called to ensure that all parents with any care and control of their children are no longer subject to HDB’s debarment rule, and those with legal custody of a child are not discriminated against on the ground of their marital status.

This is an incredible opportunity to make real change and we need your help to press the committee into taking this petition seriously. It’s crucial for those deliberating these rules to fully understand the adverse impact they have on single-parent families, and to hear directly from them on their struggles with housing. To be truly reflective of their experiences, we must urge the committee to produce an extensive report looking into this issue, in order to strongly convince Parliament to take action.

These amendments, if enacted, will benefit thousands of families. Said a divorced mother who signed the parliamentary petition, “I dealt with so many difficulties trying to find a stable home for my kids because of rules that discriminate against families like mine. I hope by contributing my name to this petition, other families won’t have to go through the same obstacles.”

Let’s show the government that we are among thousands who want equality for single parents – and that we are paying attention.

Here’s how you can take action.

1. Write to the Public Petitions Committee.

The public petitions committee are the ones who consider the petition in the first instance and will report to Parliament with findings and recommendations. Tell the committee members how changing the restrictive debarment and family nucleus rules will help single-parent families in Singapore. Urge them to speak and listen to single parents firsthand so that their final report reflects real experiences.

Get in touch with the committee members:

Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling: fengshan@pap.org.sg
Dr Janil Puthucheary: janil_puthucheary@mci.gov.sg
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: LouisNg4NSE@gmail.com
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: dphua@pathlight.org.sg
Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: tan_chuan-jin@parl.gov.sg
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: dennis.tan@wp.sg
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: Melvin.Yong@pap.org.sg

2. Submit letters to the newspaper forums

MPs are sensitive to the public’s perspectives on issues they are addressing, and publishing letters in the media is one major way to show there is public support. Tell our MPs and the public why you think it’s important for these changes to be made, and how the amendments will impact children’s development and improve family lives – especially for low-income households. If you are from a single-parent family, you can also talk about how your own challenges with housing has affected you!

Write to:

The Straits Times Forum
TODAY Voices
Lianhe Zaobao Forum (Email: zbyanlun@sph.com.sg)

3. Keep the conversation going within your social network and community

To make change, we need greater social awareness and stronger public pressure. Share our video of conversations with single parents, our eye-catching comics based on real experiences of single parents, and our in-depth research exploring the effects of housing policy on these families. Let others know why you support the amendments, and how it contributes to a fairer society.

4. Do you have other ideas on how you can help? Write to us: media@aware.org.sg

Add your voice to the cause today.

Singapore’s only Women’s Helpline celebrated 25th birthday at AWARE Love Ball

This post was originally published as a press release on 8 September 2017.
Photos from the event

Gender equality group AWARE celebrated 25 years of its Women’s Helpline – Singapore’s only crisis helpline for women – at its annual fundraising gala, the Love Ball, on Friday evening at St. Regis Singapore.

The gala event was hosted by stage actors Pam Oei and Siti Khalijah, and welcomed some 400 guests, who donated generously to support AWARE’s programmes and services, including its critical support services for women: the Women’s Helpline, counselling, befrienders, support group and legal clinic services.

AWARE also unveiled immediate plans to build capacity to support and empower minority communities in Singapore, with support services to be run in all four major languages. Previously, the services were run only in English and Mandarin.

This year’s aim was to raise $350,000 from the donation pledges, silent auction and lucky dip, as well as the net proceeds from the sale of tables at the gala dinner. The money raised will also go towards AWARE’s public education programmes, and research and advocacy efforts for more supportive policies for all women.

“Our donors and supporters top themselves every year at the Ball. The fundraising gala has made a name for itself as an unmissable opportunity to transform women’s lives and contribute in a big way to the women’s movement in Singapore,” said Corinna Lim, Executive Director of AWARE.

She said: “We’ve been running the Women’s Helpline for 25 years and have supported over 25,000 callers since we started. Throughout the years, it’s become clear we need to ensure that every woman can access and feels welcomed in our support network. The money raised tonight will allow us to develop our staff, volunteers, counsellors and lawyers’ capabilities to run services in Malay, Tamil and Mandarin, as well as in English. We are also developing our team’s knowledge of Syariah law in order to better support Muslim women. No woman should be turned away from the help they need.”

At the Ball, AWARE also announced a new initiative, the POWER Fund: Women’s Fund for Change, to provide seed funding and other resources to emerging women’s rights groups. The first batch of grantees will be announced in November 2017.

Recognising champions of gender equality and women’s empowerment

Every year since 2011, the AWARE Awards have proudly celebrated individuals and organisations that promote gender equality in Singapore. The award winners were presented with their respective awards at the Love Ball. Previous years’ winners include The T Project, Singapore’s only shelter for transgender women; Aidha, an NGO that runs programmes to financially empower foreign domestic workers; and Sarah Tan, a business owner who employs single mothers at her bao stalls and uses her home to shelter vulnerable women and girls.

This year, AWARE awarded the Champions for Gender Equality and Justice awards to Women and Law in Islam, a group that promotes gender equality in Islam through conversation, debate and public awareness; and Eden Law Corporation, a law firm that has aided many vulnerable women – including divorcees, survivors of domestic violence and single mothers – through their low-bono business model.

Crisis shelter, Casa Raudha Women Home, bagged the Safe Haven award, for their shelter which has, since 2008, housed and supported 760 women escaping abusive relationships, family violence and homelessness.

Finally, the Champions for Women’s Economic Empowerment award was given to Ieshah Abdul Majid and her daughter, Nur Shazlina Sulaiman, who provide stable employment to lower-income women and single mothers through Ieshah’s hawker stalls.

“Every year, the competition for the AWARE Awards gets tougher,” said Awards judge Professor Tommy Koh, who is the Ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Professor Koh has been on the judging panel of the AWARE Awards since 2011.

“We are honoured to witness more work being done for gender equality. From individuals using their entrepreneurship skills to support underprivileged women, to bigger organisations providing crucial services, we know that no effort is too small. We hope the Awards encourage more initiatives that improve the landscape for all women. As always, we are proud to recognise our winners’ achievements.”

2017’s Alamak! Award winner

But as AWARE works hard to foster gender equality, many obstacles still get in the way. To recognise this, the tongue-in-cheek Alamak! Award was created to “honour” people and institutions who have contributed to the most jaw-dropping sexist moment of the year.

Nominees for the Alamak! Award were submitted by the public and shortlisted by AWARE. The “winner” was chosen through online voting on AWARE’s website.

The nominees this year were last year’s victim-blaming “Dear Kelly” column response in Teenage magazine; a recent court judgment that perpetuated myths about sexual assault; a sexist movie review by retailer Absolute Comics; ROM and HDB for annulling a couple’s marriage and taking away their right to a home; and vocal online shamers of public breastfeeding.

It was a close fight, but with 144 of 467 votes, the Alamak! nominee with the most votes is the victim-blaming court judgment.

In April, a man was acquitted of sexually assaulting a 15 year old girl. Despite the victim’s young age and the fact that the accused was the live-in boyfriend of her mother, the court, in acquitting the accused, found that the victim was not “prompt in her complaints” and that “there were no reasons for her not to confide in members of her family or her boyfriend. …Someone so abused and humiliated would be expected to seek help and redress when she breaks her silence.”

Said Jolene Tan, AWARE’s Head of Advocacy and Research, of the court judgment: “It is well-established that survivors are often reluctant to report and seek help for sexual crimes, which are vastly stigmatised. Authorities should be looking to bust myths about sexual crimes, instead of reinforcing them in court.”

Read more about the AWARE Award winners and Alamak! Award nominees in the Annexes attached.

Annex A
AWARE Award Winners 2017

Champions for Gender Equality & Justice
Women and Law in Islam

Women and Law in Islam (WALI), led by lawyer Halijah Mohamed and interfaith activist Imran Taib, was formed to provide alternatives to Singapore’s “rigid and conservative interpretation of Islam” through conversation, debate and public awareness. WALI has allowed a growing community of Muslim women and men to speak out against gender inequality by providing much-needed space for honest debate of Muslim texts and interpretations. WALI’s work is especially admirable considering the environment that makes it difficult for them to flourish. They have also worked with other women’s groups and academics on CEDAW submissions and a submission paper with 20 other signatories for the Family Justice Act in 2015.

Champions for Gender Equality & Justice
Eden Law Corporation

Established in August 2014 and led by Managing Director, June Lim, Eden Law Corporation provides high quality legal services at a Low Bono rate, using a sliding scale fixed fee model on clients’ disposable income. In 2016, 60% of their work was done at a Pro Bono or Low Bono rate. They are powerfully positioned to aid the many vulnerable women they have counted among their clients, including divorcees, survivors of domestic violence and single mothers. The only law firm of this nature in Singapore, Eden Law’s impact on Singapore has the potential to grow beyond its already impressive contributions. Eden Law hopes to encourage other lawyers to offer affordable legal services to women and vulnerable communities.

Champions for Women’s Economic Empowerment
Ieshah Abdul Majid and Nur Shazlina Sulaiman

Eleven years ago, Ieshah, a single mother, was struggling to make ends meet, until a friend entrusted her with the management of Cafe Cocoa. Today, Ieshah is the one making a difference in the lives of fellow single mothers, having employed 10 single and low-income mothers over the last ten years through her three hawker stalls. Her compassion and entrepreneurship inspired her daughter, Shaz, who runs a cafe at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, which creates opportunities and provides accessibility for the deaf community. This inspiring mother-daughter team is the perfect example of how compassion from one person can start a chain of events that helps countless others.

Safe Haven
Casa Raudha Women Home

Casa Raudha Women Home, one of the four crisis shelters for women in Singapore, has provided a safe shelter for women escaping abusive relationships, family violence and homelessness since 2008. Over the past nine years, they have housed 760 women and children. Most of these women come from low-income backgrounds with nowhere else to turn to for the support and stability they need. Their strong survivor-centric approach means that those under their care are able to regain control and autonomy of their lives and circumstances, something that many domestic violence survivors have had stolen from them, and independently make decisions that will positively impact not only themselves, but also their children, family and society.

Click here for Alamak! Award 2017 nominees

Are you working for gender equality – and need financial support? Check out AWARE’s women’s rights fund!

We are incredibly excited to announce that AWARE has launched the Power Fund, Singapore’s first national women’s rights fund!

The fund will provide financial and capacity-building support to emerging organisations and new initiatives that work with marginalised women and girls.

We are particularly interested in:

Emerging organisations that are small or not formally registered
Organisations that are struggling financially
Organisations that wish to re-establish themselves after years of dormancy
Passionate, goal-oriented individuals building a cause in the realm of gender equality

What will grantees receive?

Financial support for project – One-year grants to help finance their project(s)
National and regional networking – among individual women’s rights advocates, and other social justice organisations
Capacity building – for communications, governance, finance, project management and mentorship
Learning support – among advocates through the exchange of diverse ideas and experiences.

Want to find out more about the fund? Or do you know a group that fits what we’re looking for? Check out the fund’s site here and don’t forget to spread the word!

Learn more about Power: Women’s Fund for Change

AWARE applauds parliamentary push for housing access for single parents, offers to provide evidence to hearings

This post was originally published as a press release on 7 September 2017.

Seven single parents have signed a parliamentary petition, to be presented at the next parliamentary sitting on 11 September, urging changes to HDB’s current housing policies for single-parent families.

Gender equality group AWARE worked closely with MP Louis Ng to support this push for legislative change.

“Our housing policies must support all parents and children in their striving for stable family lives, if Singapore is truly to become a child-friendly and family-centric society as the Prime Minister emphasised at the National Day Rally,” said Jolene Tan, AWARE’s Head of Advocacy and Research. “The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), to which Singapore is party, is clear that every child must have access to adequate housing without discrimination on the basis of marital status.”

The petition proposes amendments to sections 47 and 65 of the Housing and Development Act, so that all parents with any care and control of their children are no longer subject to HDB’s debarment rule, and those with legal custody of a child are not discriminated against on the ground of their marital status. It also proposes that Parliament form a Select Committee to further deliberate on public housing access for single-parent families, with particular reference to Singapore’s CRC obligations.

Following presentation in Parliament, the petition will be referred to the Public Petitions Committee.

“We will reach out to the Committee to urge them to investigate the issue thoroughly, and to speak directly to single parents and their children,” said Jolene Tan. “Much of the lived experience of these families – with unstable or inadequate housing, the anxiety of frequent moves, and financial pressure – may not be captured in broad statistical and bureaucratic classifications. NGOs and VWOs are also an important source of information. AWARE urges the Committee to call upon us to share our experience and research – we have found that the over-reliance on case-by-case appeals to HDB, MPs and other agencies is not good enough to meet families’ needs.”

“We also hope that as far as possible, the Committee will fully document and publish the testimony that it receives, as well as its deliberations, to ensure transparency and public confidence in its conclusions.”

“I dealt with so many difficulties trying to find a stable home for my kids because of rules that discriminate against families like mine. I hope by contributing my name to this petition, other families won’t have to go through the same obstacles. There are many challenges single-parent families already face that add to the stress of managing a household, and securing a home should not be one of them,” said Jackie (not her real name), a divorced mother who is one of the signatories of the petition.

AWARE has been consistently urging for several key changes to HDB’s existing housing policy, including increasing the income cap for public rental housing, waiving the debarment rule for divorced parents with care and control of their children, and allowing unmarried mothers to form a family nucleus with their children.

In May, the group launched a public petition calling for these changes, and received 8,024 signatures in support of them. Over 2,200 individuals who signed were or are from single-parent families.

AWARE’s public petition was built on the findings of their in-depth study (with accompanying Annexes) involving interviews with 55 single mothers, which found that 95% of respondents who sought public housing faced problems like the unrealistic income ceiling, long debarment periods and lack of transparency and clarity in policies.

Taking Ctrl, Finding Alt: A dialogue on the role of technology in cases of sexual violence

By Mandy Chng, AWARE volunteer

Technological advancements and the interconnectivity of new media play an increasing role in women’s experiences of sexual violence. This issue was addressed at a dialogue organised by the Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) on 30 August. Around 50 people attended the session, which explored how modern technology enables abusers to control, coerce, stalk, shame and harass their victims; the laws and legal implications of this issue; and strategies for online safety.

The dialogue session followed the release of a recent research report which found that nearly one in five (18%) cases seen by SACC last year involved technology. The two most common components of technology-facilitated sexual violence were image-based sexual abuse and contact-based sexual harassment. Image-based sexual abuse refers to the use of nude, sexual or intimate images of women to sexually harass or harm them, such as revenge pornography, ‘sextortion’, non-consensual distribution of intimate images and voyeuristic filming. Contact-based sexual harassment refers to the use of communication technologies to facilitate unwanted sexual contact or harassment. This includes explicit, coercive and sexually harassing messages or comments on social media.

Anisha Joseph, manager of SACC, opened the session by highlighting the importance of addressing technology-facilitated sexual violence. She explained, “The use of technology is so interconnected in our daily lives and we are still trying to catch up with their negative aftereffects. For women affected by technology-facilitated sexual violence, there is a debilitating sense of losing control over what’s happening to them.”

“Techniques of control that we would previously see in violent or abusive relationships are now becoming technologically-based. For example, one client reported that she had broken up with a partner, who in the aftermath had sent an intimate image of her to her mother,” said Dr Laura, a criminology lecturer at the University of Liverpool. “Clients felt anxious and fearful, which is why image-based sexual abuse is so impactful. You experience a loss of control – you have no idea where the image is going, what the perpetrator is going to do with it or what might happen in the aftermath.”

While technology is being misused by perpetrators, some participants wondered how technology can be used to combat sexual violence and gather digital evidence. Ng Yi Ling, an Information Security professional, shared that if someone has sent anything threatening online, it is imperative to take a timestamp of it and share the incident with a confidant. “By verifying the incident with someone else, you can ensure the integrity of evidence which casts away any doubt of it being fabricated,” said Yi Ling. Tan Jin Song, a lawyer, furthered this discussion by sharing about the laws that criminalises harassment online and prevents them from taking place. For example, an Expedited Protection Order can be issued when there is a likelihood of offending behaviors being carried out. He added that the order can be issued against both persons and entities.

Participants agreed that the dialogue session underscored the growing concern of technology and violence, and some wondered what we can do as a collective to raise awareness. Dr Laura shared that we should “build up bystander intervention”; rather than placing responsibilities on the victim, we should build our capacities as bystanders, friends and family members to be non-judgmental and to call out incidents that are inappropriate.

One participant reiterated the need to start conversations regarding gender-based violence among youths, who are more likely to be victims of technology-facilitated sexual violence. “It is very important to change social stigma and address larger social issues at a younger age because that is when people are more vulnerable.”

If you or someone you know has experienced any form of sexual assault or harassment, you can reach out to SACC through the helpline (6779 0282) or email sacc@aware.org.sg.

Malay Religious Conservatism: A Historical Survey

Many have observed the rise of Malay religious conservatism that has impacted various spheres such as social relations and politics.

In this presentation organised by Gender Equality IS Our Culture (GEC), AWARE’s programme on gender equality in Islam, the speaker, interfaith activist Mohamed Imran will discuss how religious conservatism is a product of a long historical development, beginning from the arrival of Islam to the region up until the current age of globalisation.

Learn more about the current concerns on religious conservatism from the Malay/Muslim community, and explore how it has impacted gender equality within Islam.

Date: 16 September 2017
Time: 2pm
b: AWARE Centre (5 Dover Crescent #01-22)

Register for the talk here!

Position Filled: Support Services Executive

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE’s Support Services is looking for a full-time executive who can help the Support Services in its day-to-day operational and administrative functions as well as programme development.

Requirements

Minimum of 2 years of related experience
Relevant educational qualification like social work, counselling, psychology or related field
Excellent interpersonal, empathy and communication skills in English (verbal and written)
Good knowledge of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Word)
Able to use initiative and judgement to solve problems independently
Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE

Job Description

Ensure smooth running of daily operations of AWARE’s Befriending, Legal clinic and Counselling services
Assist in sustaining and supporting volunteers related to Befriending, Legal clinic and Counselling services
Contribute to the improvement of the Befriending, Legal Clinic, and Counselling programs which includes building relevant resources for volunteers and clients, volunteer engagement and training, and identifying and improving current processes of the programs
Assist in covering helpline shifts; answering helpline emails
Participate in networking with other organizations, and assist in promoting AWARE’s Support Services
Supporting in any other Support Services work, as and when required

If you are interested, please send an email with your CV to supportservices@aware.org.sg.

Deadline for application: 22 September 2017.

One in five sexual assault cases seen by SACC involved technology

This post was originally published as a press release on 30 August 2017.

One employer sexually harassed a woman, telling her at a meeting that he had obtained a nude image of her and was keeping it on his phone.

In another case, a woman reported that her ex-partner sent intimate images of her to her mother and was threatening to release more on social media.

Nearly one in five of the 338 cases (18%) seen by the Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) last year involved a component of technology, according to a research report published by SACC and written by Dr Laura Vitis, a criminology lecturer at the University of Liverpool, Singapore. The report, which looked at 60 SACC cases, also examined whether and how technology shaped women’s experiences of sexual violence or resistance to violence.

Said Dr. Vitis, “In addition to creating new modes of sexual violence, like upskirting, technology is also being ‘folded into’ existing acts of violence. For example, the study shows how perpetrators use technology to further intensify intimate partner violence and workplace sexual harassment.”

Nearly one in three of the TFSV cases last year involved “contact-based sexual harassment”, which included the use of communication technologies by perpetrators to facilitate unwanted sexual contact. This harassment included explicit, coercive and sexually harassing messages or comments on social media.

Nearly one in two of the TFSV cases (i.e. nearly one in 10 of total SACC cases) were “image-based” forms of sexual violence – for instance, revenge pornography, ‘sextortion’, threats to distribute or distributing intimate photos or videos non-consensually, or recording intimate images for voyeuristic reasons.

Said Anisha Joseph, manager of SACC, “Disturbingly, some perpetrators also profited off these images, for example, by exchanging them to pay off a debt or selling them online. This shows that there is a market for such non-consensually obtained nude images of women within Singapore.”

The recent rise of upskirting cases also illustrate how sexual voyeurism, in particular, has become common in public spaces, especially on public transport. One client in the study reported an incident of upskirting by a stranger on the MRT, while another reported being filmed by a man when she was breastfeeding in public.

“Sexual harassment or threats in online spaces or through technology are wrongly thought to be less “real” compared to physical contact,” said Anisha. “Some survivors were told by the authorities, family, or friends, to simply “delete their social media account”. But technology is now a big part of how we work and live – we cannot expect women to withdraw from online activities to avoid sexual violence, and we must take the social and psychological harms of online violence and harassment seriously.”

“The law should effectively reflect our commitment to safeguard survivors’ rights in online spaces as well as offline ones. In cases of ‘sextortion’ or threats to release intimate images, every second counts for the survivors. We hope authorities will consider stronger and quicker remedies beyond protection orders, given the time-sensitive nature of such crimes.”

The report includes recommendations by AWARE on addressing the prevalence of TFSV and improving protection for survivors, including ensuring police officers and criminal court officers are appropriately trained on technology-facilitated sexual violence and image-based abuse, and commissioning educational and media campaigns on TFSV that focus on the behaviour of the perpetrator, rather than the victim.

The report will be presented to the public at an open dialogue led by Dr Laura Vitis; Ng Yi Ling, an information security expert; Tan Jin Song, a criminal and family lawyer; and SACC, on Wednesday (30 August 2017) evening, at the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations.

Please note that representatives of the media will be required to identify themselves prior to the event, and no photos/videos are allowed without explicit consent. We welcome reporting on the points and issues raised, but no names and identities should be included.

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Author: AWARE Media