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Position Filled: Administrator for Catalyse Consulting

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

Wanted: Organised administrator with excellent communications skills to coordinate Diversity training programmes

Catalyse LogoCatalyse Consulting, which was formed at the end of 2015, offers corporate training and consulting in Workplace Harassment, Diversity & Inclusion, and People-Centred Leadership. Reporting to the Catalyse Consulting Manager, the role involves providing support to the overall operations of Catalyse Consulting, including co-ordinating workshops and events, liaising with trainers and clients, and managing the sales of services and products. We are looking for a self-starter with excellent organisation and communication skills, as well as strong marketing and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities:

  • Liaise with clients to co-ordinate training workshops (including logistics, arranging meetings, understanding and attending to clients’ training needs, etc.)
  • Respond to incoming enquiries and manage sales, including negotiation with potential clients
  • Assist to manage ongoing client relationships
  • Prepare proposals, negotiate, and close sales
  • Manage CC trainers (includes capacity building)
  • Assist in the development of new CC training curricula
  • Manage the CC website and social media platforms
  • Maintain records and manage databases
  • Process invoices and record payments
  • Other administrative duties, as required

Minimum Requirements:

  • Minimum of 1 year related experience or relevant degree
  • Strong organisational skills
  • Strong project planning and execution skills
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Superb time management skills and ability to meet deadlines
  • Able to use initiative and judgment to solve problems independently
  • Sound knowledge of computer software applications (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Word)
  • Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE

Desired Skills and Experience:

  • Experience in sales and marketing, business development, communications, events management, human resources or diversity training
  • Adaptable and resourceful
  • Website management
  • Knowledge of editing software (e.g. Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator)
  • Knowledge of event management software (e.g. EventBrite)

This is a three month contract of services with the prospect of conversion into employment contract, after the initial three months.

Send a cover letter and your CV, including the names and contact numbers of two referees, to Susanna Nickalls at susanna.nickalls@catalyse.sg

Application deadline: 13 January 2017 

Notice on SACC’s limited services in December

Our Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) will be operating with limited resources for two weeks (24th December 2016 – 8th January 2017) due to which SACC services will also be limited.

SACC helpline and counselling will operate as usual but there will be a delayed response via SACC email. 

Please note, SACC whats-app, walk-in, befriending, legal sessions & case management services will NOT be available.

For emergencies please call 999 for the police. You can also call 1800 221 4444 for the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, including thoughts of suicide.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. For more information, visit http://www.sacc.sg

2016: A Year In Review

What a rewarding year 2016 has been! Keeping up the momentum from last year, AWARE has made leaps and bounds in our work towards gender equality through our advocacy, services and programmes. Your support made all our efforts possible. Here are some highlights of the year.

 

1. We championed rights of single parents and influenced policy changes that support unmarried mothers

One big achievement from 2016 was the government’s announcement of increased benefits and protection for single mothers. Unmarried mothers now receive 16 weeks of maternity leave – just like married mothers – and their children will be eligible for Child Development Accounts. This great news came after we launched #asinglelove, a powerful public campaign that supports and empowers single parents and their families. Together with partners Kinetic and Daughters of Tomorrow, we reached out to thousands through a family carnival for single parents, an evocative video with single mothers, and powerful posters visible in train stations and shopping malls islandwide that featured real stories of single parent families. We hope 2017 will bring more policy changes that address the difficulties single parents still face.

2. We raised $215,829 for a programme to support lower-income women

Thanks to generous donors and sponsors, including Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and Lee Foundation, a whopping $215,829 will be invested in empowering lower-income women with back-to-work support, confidence building, skills training, job placements, mentorship, entrepreneurial support through collaborations with industry partners and research. The money was partially raised at the WORLD Ball (which raised a total of $370,000!) to support all our programmes, where we shed light on how society can help lower-income women break out of the cycle of poverty. Our movement to empower these women, Building Dreams, is a joint project with non-profit group Daughters of Tomorrow and will kick off in 2017.

3. We sparked a men’s movement against gender violence through White Ribbon campaign

Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, Olympic athlete Joseph Schooling, Minister Ong Ye Kung and accomplished thespian Adrian Pang were just some of the prominent male leaders we brought together for the White Ribbon Campaign, an annual global effort to promote men and boys’ commitment to end violence against women. With the support of the High Commission of Canada and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, we teamed up with Michael Kaufman – one of the co-founders of the global White Ribbon Campaign – for a series of successful workshops and trainings on sexual consent and active fatherhood. One such event was a panel hosted by Deutsche Bank, where Minister Tan Chuan-Jin and corporate leaders discussed how companies can promote active fatherhood and encourage men to play bigger roles in caregiving.

4. We brought up gender issues faced by Malay-Muslim women in Singapore

Our GEC (Gender Equality IS Our Culture) campaign published “Perempuan”, an anthology written by and for young Muslim Singaporean women. The collection of deeply personal and compelling narratives reveals how Muslim women’s ethnic and religious upbringings have shaped their lives. We’re honoured to provide a platform for these heartfelt experiences that critically address the stereotypes and pressures Muslim women face. You can order a copy of the e-book in one of the online retailers listed here.

We also tirelessly brought attention to the prevalence of “sunat perempuan”, a form of female genital cutting that is still practised in Singapore, receiving news coverage from the BBC, Thomson Reuters, Berita Harian, Yahoo and Business Insider.

5. We fought against sexual violence as SACC strides confidently into its fourth year

SACC, Singapore’s only specialist service for survivors of sexual assault, continued to reach out to those who need support through our expanding services. In 2016, we assisted over 320 clients through our Helpline, WhatsApp service, counselling and legal advice sessions. We also launched our first support group for sexual assault survivors to share their journey of recovery, and receive support from one another.

In November, many members of the public spoke up against Teenage magazine’s victim-blaming response to a young woman’s experience of rape. Our own letter received widespread praise, and prompted further public discussions on consent and sexual assault. We hope this is a sign that Singaporean society is changing to be more supportive of survivors.

6. We achieved public recognition for our excellent governance and transparency

We are honoured to receive both the Charity Governance Award as well as the Charity Transparency Award this year. Organised by the Charity Council, the awards celebrate good governance and disclosure practices in the charity sector. In the last few years, AWARE has shifted from a volunteer-based group to a professional organisation, and the CGA award marked a huge milestone in our progress. We are highly committed to integrity in our work, and will continually find ways to improve and adopt best practices in governance and donor relations.

7. We raised important policy issues through our research and advocacy

Our advocacy and research team worked tirelessly to foreground policy issues that affect marginalised groups. Our Budget recommendations at the start of the year highlighted the importance of building a care economy to meet burgeoning eldercare needs, which has a disproportionate impact on women. We also released reports on the experiences of women (especially foreign wives) living with HIV or HIV-positive partners, and on how state policies can better support foreign wives. Our work on reforming suicide laws to better support victims also secured a parliamentary announcement of a review of the laws that currently makes suicide a crime.

8. We championed women’s rights at the UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva

We brought gender equality in Singapore to the world stage when we went to Geneva for the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council session in June. The session was part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report, a process where UN member states offer recommendations to one another on matters of human rights. We raised issues such as the underrepresentation of women in politics, the marital immunity for rape, systemic discrimination against single parents, the tenuous legal status of foreign wives, and the treatment of domestic workers.  

9. We brought together members of civil society to discuss action and advocacy

We organised the second chapter of Apa Itu Activist? A Civil Society Forum for Action and Advocacy in August, bringing together over 250 students, social workers, artists, academics, activists and community organisers to discuss strategies for social change. The forum was also a platform for the Singapore Advocacy Awards ceremony, presented by TWC3, where we honoured veteran civil society advocates such as Dr Ho Hua Chew (nature conservationist) and Kirsten Han (human rights journalist).

Thank you so much for your support, passion and generosity. See you next year!

White Ribbon 2016 – Sparking a men’s movement

This year, the White Ribbon Campaign encouraged men to be positive role models for the young men and boys in their lives by redefining masculinity and manhood in more compassionate and inclusive terms. The campaign focused on men in their role as caregivers and highlighted active fatherhood as a key component to ending violence against women. Through allying with prominent men, like Joseph Schooling, who were willing to speak out against gender violence, the campaign hoped to inspire more men and boys in Singapore to reflect on these issues.

Over the course of a week, the campaign worked with 18 diverse organisations in Singapore and successfully reached out to 1512 individuals. Various men in leadership roles, such as Minister Ong Ye Kun, Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister Tan Chuan Jin, MP Tan Wu Meng and MP Louis Ng wore the White Ribbon and pledged their support on social media. From the arts world, popular figures like Alvin Tan, Hossan Leong, Sivakumar Palanikrishnan and notable filmmakers and actors at the Singapore International Film Festival sported a white ribbon to show their support. Long-term partners like Oogachaga, The Hidden Good, G-Spot and Tembusu College renewed their support, while new allies like the Vegetarian Society, KBRI Singapore and TSMP Law Corporation also joined in.

This year, we launched White Ribbon Letters, a new initiative to encourage men to pen their thoughts about creating a more gender-equal and violence-free world for a young boy or man in their life. We received a total of 8 letters written by men from various backgrounds. Adrian Pang, Neil Humphreys, Ken Kwek and Marc Nair were amongst the men who participated, and the letters were addressed to their sons, nephews, future grandsons and younger selves. The letters were reflective on issues like sexual consent, respect and care for women and girls, being an active bystander when witnessing harassment or violence, challenging traditional gender roles and unrealistic ideals of masculinity, and other important messages. Many of the pieces were personal and moving, and received heartening support on social media.

Michael Kaufman, a prominent Canadian speaker, writer and co-founder of the White Ribbon campaign came to Singapore during the campaign period and spoke at four campaign events. The events included a discussion on fatherhood and the workplace, hosted by Deutsche Bank, a breakfast session with male leaders from different sectors, a workshop for youth on combating sexual harassment and dating violence, and a public talk on ‘How good dads can change the world’.

Kaufman talked to each audience about his experiences and perspectives on how toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes harm boys and men, and how active fatherhood transforms men and benefits children, partners, workplaces and the community in general. He shared how, around the world, more men are increasingly keen to participate equally in caregiving, and different institutions in society must adapt to this change. Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, the guest-of-honour at the corporate event, talked about the government’s commitment to promoting active fatherhood, and his belief that supportive families can heal and prevent many social problems. The different sessions also addressed the important responsibility that men have to use the platforms given to them to promote gender equality and end male violence. At the breakfast session for male leaders, many guests shared how they were already effecting change in their own spaces and inspired each other to do more. The youth event, too, moved the participants to take a stand against gender violence by providing safe spaces on campus and intervening when they saw instances of sexual harassment or bullying.

Kaufman’s visit marked the end of White Ribbon week 2016, but what we hope is the beginning of a vibrant movement that brings men into the conversation about creating equality and eliminating violence against women.

View photos from the events here. 

Perempuan: A Review

To read more about the latest AWARE publication, Perempuan, an anthology by Muslim women in Singapore, click here. 

A review by Kamalia

My body belongs to me. My body is not public property. – Nur Diyana

This is my story to tell. – Orchid Blue

My body. My story. Me.

Above the noise of stereotypes and narratives imposed on Muslim women in Singapore, Perempuan raises its voice loud and clear. The voices are all of women; 31 anecdotes, personal stories and opinion pieces of women have come together to form this anthology about women’s experiences.

Perempuan is the first in the local literary scene to explore this particular intersection of Muslim, Malay and female identities. Furthermore, the majority of its contributions have been written in English and the rare few that are in Malay have been published alongside an English translation.

In Singapore, this means that Perempuan opens itself up to readers beyond the Malay community. These thoughts and experiences may be of the minority, but that neither detracts from its value nor makes it any less relatable to someone outside this collection of women voices.

Issues that were commonly discussed include body image (‘Can I Have My Body Back?’, ‘You Have to Lose Weight’), female sexuality (‘Orchid Blue’), female body autonomy (‘Armpits, Breasts and Vulva’, ‘My Body is Not Public Property’), female circumcision (‘Leave Them Alone’, ‘The Pain of Remembering’), flawed mother-daughter relationships (‘Ibu (Mother)’, and ‘Crossing the Ocean, Crossing the Boundaries’). While the narrative threads overlap each other in subject matter, each remains unique, nuanced, and wholly its own.

The variety in Perempuan is also evident in the styles of writing. Some employ more artistic flourish while others are simpler, more straightforward. Yet, this unevenness is essential in such an anthology. There is no need for homogeneity, for convention and stereotype in Perempuan. Still, what resounds is the varying degrees of subjugation and social pressures that a Singaporean Muslim woman might face.

As a Singaporean Muslim woman, I get to read about myself. In Perempuan, there are stories I identify with because they are my stories too. To find real representation in a book is to experience the precious sense of validation. Perempuan legitimatizes what has been silenced, lends a language to what I think and feel, and lets me know I am not alone.

But there are other anecdotes that I am surprised or even uncomfortable to read about. These are just as important as points of reflection for me on the judgment and assumptions that Muslim women not only experience, but worse still, inflict on each other in Singapore.

Ultimately, it is in the variety of voices where the strength of this anthology lies. The myriad of narratives that cross paths in the compact book only hints at the countless others that go unsaid, that remain self-censored.

International Migrants Day: AWARE urges equality and inclusion for foreign wives

This post was originally published as a press release on 14 December 2016.

In view of International Migrants Day on 18 December, AWARE has released a policy brief highlighting key laws and policies that discriminate against the foreign spouses of Singapore citizens, with particular impact on the foreign wives of citizen men.

Titled “Home, truly: respect the rights of foreign wives”, the policy brief makes five key calls to ensure the inclusive and equitable treatment of foreign spouses of Singapore citizens:

  1. Grant the LTVP+ to all spouses.
  2. Grant the right to work to all spouses.
  3. Grant healthcare subsidies to all spouses (currently available only to LTVP+ holders).
  4. Grant PR to all spouses: (i) who have been on the LTVP+ for three years; (ii) who have citizen children, or (iii) whose spouse dies, whichever is soonest.  Citizenship should be available to those foreign spouses who have held PR for a clearly defined and transparently published period of time.
  5. Ease housing access through clear, timed routes to PR (see above), and allow citizens married to LTVP+ holders to access public rental housing.

“Singapore declares itself pro-family and our leaders emphasise the need for citizen-migrant integration,” said Jolene Tan, Head of Advocacy & Research at AWARE.  “Yet our policies make it hard for poorer transnational families – often citizen husband-foreigner wife couples – to fulfil basic needs like stable residence, employment and housing.”

The policy brief is critical of the idea that the Pre-Marriage LTVP Assessment, introduced in late 2014, is an adequate response to the difficulties faced by families.

“What does the state expect couples who are told they won’t get the LTVP to do?” asked Jolene Tan.  “The right to family life includes the right to freely choose a spouse, regardless of nationality or wealth.  We can’t justify denying people stable family lives just by telling them about it in advance.  Migration policy should prioritise family ties over economic utility.”

Over the past two years, AWARE’s Support Services Helpline received 220 calls from foreign wives contemplating or going through divorce. More than a quarter (26%) were facing immigration issues while 21% were facing domestic violence. A large proportion (87%) were seeking legal advice when they called.

“Our Helpline experience suggests that immigration status is a pressing issue,” said Jolene Tan. “This is further complicated in situations of domestic violence. Most of the callers need legal advice, which is not easily accessible.”

Read the policy brief here. 

Singapore should adopt Gender Equality Seal Certification Programme

This post was originally published in TODAY newspaper on 9 December 2016.

gender-equality-seal

More than 20 years after Singapore acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), it continues to lag in fulfilling its obligations under the treaty, including the obligation to eliminate discrimination against women at all levels of employment.

For instance, in October, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob noted that progress in women’s representation on corporate boards has been slow – rising from 8% in 2012 to only 9.7% by end-June 2016.

An opportunity to decisively address this issue has emerged with the recent launch of the United Nations Development Programme Gender Equality Seal Certification Programme for Public and Private Enterprises in Asia Pacific, with a call for governments in this region to come onboard.

Malaysia has responded favourably, and Singapore should do likewise, to take the lead in building a global hub and business centre that forefronts gender equitable policies.

To achieve certification by the government under the programme, companies would go through a series of ten steps. These include developing a written commitment to gender equality, training senior management staff on gender equality, and developing and implementing a company-wide policy and plan of action for gender equality.

This process would point to specific gaps in employer practices and indicate directions for improvement. For instance, companies might need to formulate and implement policies to explicitly address discrimination on the basis of gender and other characteristics like marital status and sexual orientation, improve hiring and talent-grooming processes to address unconscious biases and ingrained ‘old boys club’ practices, conduct anti-workplace sexual harassment training, and strive for pay transparency.

Although some companies have taken some steps to create a more gender-equal workplace, there is still much room for improvement, and the government can play an active part in ensuring this takes place.

For instance, how many employers have implemented the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment, issued by TAFEP and the Ministry of Manpower to build on the Protection from Harassment Act?  Since the Act placed no legal responsibility on employers to end workplace harassment, the government must do more to ensure employers live up to the best practices that it has promulgated.

AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre received 62 complaints about workplace sexual harassment in 2015, and 37 for the first half of this year. Clearly, legislation alone is not enough to protect employees if employers themselves do not create a workplace culture of respect for women or have proper procedures to deal with complaints.

Adopting the Seal would better support and incentivise companies to do their part in promoting gender equality. Certified companies could also be a good role model for other private and public entities to emulate.   

Glass ceiling is alive and well

An edited version of this post was originally published as a letter in The Straits Times on 30 November 2016.

Glass ceilingThe glass ceiling is, sadly, alive and well (“Glass ceiling has already been broken; Nov 27). Family norms and societal expectations of towards women remain real forces – as evidenced in statistics and state policies – which powerfully structure women’s opportunities and limit the choices open to them.

According to the 2015 Labour Force Survey, women formed the majority (64% or 0.67 million) of residents outside the labour force. 41% cited family responsibilities as their main reason for not participating in the labour force. The equivalent figure for men was 3.3%.

Policies aimed at improving work-family balance do not go far enough in equalising childcare responsibilities. For instance, recent changes allow adoptive mothers 12 weeks of adoption leave but made no similar provisions for fathers. Since considerations like breastfeeding and post-partum recovery are not applicable here, reserving this leave primarily for mothers strongly signals that childcare is considered a woman’s responsibility.

Our education system does not devote time to explicitly affirming the importance of gender equality as a foundational societal value, or to educating students about how caregiving should be the shared responsibility of both genders and to recognise gender biases in society.

Regressive stereotypes about women still exist at decision-making levels.  Women in various fields regularly report to us experiences of sexist condescension in their professional lives, at every stage from job interviews to assignment of tasks and communications in meetings. They have little recourse to address this, since employers are under no legal duty not to discriminate.

Unconscious bias can also contribute to the abysmal levels of female representation in organisational leadership. According to the Singapore Board of Directors Survey 2015, 93% of respondents relied on “personal contacts” when looking for board candidates – in other words, relying on the “old boys’ network” which systematically excludes women.

Furthermore, a 2014 survey by Robert Half found that 71 per cent of human resource managers in medium-sized firms in Singapore cited “societal perceptions of women” as holding women back. Forty-three per cent at large firms perceived a “lack of promotional opportunities for women”.  Some larger employers conduct unconscious bias training and other diversity and inclusion initiatives, but these efforts are not yet widespread.

Much more can be done to address and eradicate the perceptions, biases and structures that are still in place which limit women’s choices and opportunities.

World Aids Day: AWARE highlights vulnerability of married women, especially foreign wives, living with HIV/AIDS

This post was originally published as a press release on 29 November 2016. 

hivaids29 November 2016 – In view of World AIDS Day on 1 December, AWARE has released a study highlighting the experiences and vulnerabilities of non-sex worker women living with HIV or HIV-positive partners.

Commissioned by AWARE and carried out by researchers from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, the study involved in-depth interviews with 55 women. Other than studies on sex workers, there had previously been minimal local research on HIV/AIDS prevention among married or young women in Singapore.

Notably, half the married HIV-positive women in the study reported acquiring the infection from their husbands – some faced abuse when they asked their husbands to use condoms.  Foreign wives faced particular difficulty in accessing treatment and support.

Women face barriers and abuse when negotiating condom use

As of 2015, 57.6% of the women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Singapore were married. Almost half of the HIV-positive married women in AWARE’s study believed they had acquired the infection from their husbands. A few knew of their husbands’ infidelity (which could affect their likelihood of infection), but many remained married because due to economic dependence, a sense that men’s extramarital affairs were a societal “norm”, or feelings of powerlessness.  

“Some women faced verbal or physical abuse when trying to avoid unprotected sex with their husbands through condom use,” said Jolene Tan, Head of Advocacy and Research at AWARE. “The idea that women cannot say no to sex in marriage has serious public health consequences – another reason to repeal marital immunity for rape rapidly, as Singapore told the United Nations it was considering, earlier this year. And framing faithfulness to one’s spouse as the be-all and end-all of preventing STI transmission does not help women in these situations.”

The study’s findings shaped the messages of a powerful video, “This is your life. Get tested.” (first released in April 2014), which illustrates how societal support for women’s sexual empowerment within marriage can be crucial to their health and well-being.

 

Vulnerabilities of foreign wives living with HIV or with HIV-positive partners

Twenty of the married women interviewed were foreign wives, who faced particular difficulties in accessing healthcare and support.

“Foreign wives on social visit passes are not allowed to work and are wholly dependent on their husbands for financial support, making it hard to afford expensive medication,” said Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao, Pastoral Advisor to the Free Community Church, and a consistent proponent of more support for HIV/AIDS patients. Respondents with HIV-positive husbands had concerns about how they would cope if their husbands fell ill and stopped working.

HIV-positive foreign wives also experience more uncertainty in their citizenship and residency status.

“If you are HIV-positive, you will generally be granted at most a one-year LTVP, but not permanent residency, let alone citizenship. This sets a lot of complications in the event that the husband passes on and they are anxious about the very real possibility of being sent home and separated from their children,” said Norani Othman, a social worker with extensive ground experience working with the HIV/AIDS community.

“If Singapore respects the right to family life, there can be no room for discrimination against foreign wives – who may be mothers of citizen children – because of their health,” said Jolene Tan of AWARE.  “We urge the ICA to publicly confirm that HIV status will not negatively affect applications for the LTVP+ or permanent residence.”

Dependence on husbands for financial support and residence furthermore makes it difficult for those who are in abusive marriages to leave.

More public education on HIV/AIDS needed

AWARE makes the following recommendations for the government to provide better care for women at risk of HIV/AIDS and to improve and increase public education on HIV/AIDS:

  • Implement education programmes to combat stigma and promote acceptance of HIV infected women in the family, workplace and the community, including promoting testing.
  • Subsidise treatments to ensure affordability and increase compliance with medications among these women.  Moreover, subsidised care and medication should be offered to foreign spouses of Singaporeans on the basis of financial need, not citizenship status.
  • Promote condom use and awareness.
  • Abolish marital immunity for rape in the Penal Code (Section 375(4) and Section 376A(5)). The current law facilitates men coercing their wives into (unprotected) sex, by promoting the idea that women cannot say no to sex within marriage.
  • HIV status should not be a factor in considering applications by foreign spouses of citizens for LTVP+, permanent residence or citizenship.

“Stigma strongly affects these women’s well-being,” said Jolene Tan, Head of Advocacy & Research at AWARE. “More public education is needed to promote inclusion of women living with HIV in the family, healthcare settings, the workplace and generally in the community.”

About AWARE

AWARE is Singapore’s leading women’s rights and gender equality advocacy group.  We embrace diversity, and we promote understanding and acceptance of diversity, respect the individual and the choices she makes in life, and support her when needed, and recognise the human rights of all, regardless of gender, so that everyone can realise their aspirations.