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‘Perempuan’ reveals complex lives of Muslim women in Singapore

This post was originally published as press release on 27 September 2016.

First of its kind ebook offers essays and poems that explore issues of gender and sexuality, body image, and cultural identity

 

14263993_1771152716469554_7081830659645738943_nDiana does not wear the hijab but says its cultural weight is still present in the very fact that it is not there.

Nazihah, who is studying for a diploma in Islamic studies, really wanted to become an engineer but was told engineering is not for girls.

Oman is bisexual but keeps quiet about it, feeling unsafe every time the topic of sexuality comes up in conversations.

Raudah points to the little instances of racism and discrimination, not always intentional, that Muslim women face in the workplace.

‘Batgirl’ listens to Oasis and Bon Jovi as she grapples with the challenges of being the perfect Muslim, with the culture of her community.

These are five of the 31 personal accounts by young Muslim women in Singapore of their complex lives and identities. The accounts appear in a powerful anthology titled “Perempuan: Muslim women in Singapore speak out” that will soon be available as an ebook.

Written mostly in English, with a couple appearing also in Malay, the essays and poems focus on the issues of gender and sexuality, body image, and cultural identity.

The e-book is curated by Gender Equality IS Our Culture (GEC), an AWARE project aimed at promoting greater understanding that women’s rights are compatible with the culture of Muslims in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

“This is the first publication of its kind written by and for young Muslim women in Singapore,’ said Filzah Sumartono, Project Coordinator of GEC.

“It reveals how Muslim women’s ethnic and religious upbringings have shaped their lives. Even in modern, multicultural Singapore, being a Muslim woman still comes with a myriad of social pressures, expectations and harmful stereotypes – all of which ought to be critically addressed in our everyday social interactions and in our national conversation.”

Said Dr Vivienne Wee, Programme Director of GEC, “Although no one book can fully capture all the voices and perspectives within society, we hope that Perempuan can start conversations within families and between communities about what it can be like living as a Muslim woman in Singapore.”

Perempuan began with an open call in July this year.  

“We were pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic response,” said Filzah Sumartono. “These were clearly stories that needed to be told and were just waiting for a chance to be heard.”

In her foreword, Associate Professor Maznah Mohamed of the National University of Singapore’s Department of Malay Studies, describes the book as “a potent burst of voices from the wellspring of the heart and soul of ordinary women”.

She says: “The writers are the picture of multiple identities – female, Muslim, Singaporean; not necessarily in that order of priority, but the identity overlays, intersections and clashes are the crux of the contemplation.

“Conversations about gender equality, diversity and freedom of choice can begin around these stories, not just among women but also between families and communities.”

Perempuan will be launched on 29 September at 7pm at the AWARE Centre. The e-book will   be available for purchase from mid-October 2016 at all major e-book retailers including Amazon, Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Google Play Books and Bookmate.

For further information, please contact Nabilah at media@aware.org.sg.

About Gender Equality IS Our Culture

Gender Equality IS Our Culture (GEC) is a programme funded by UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality. GEC works within the local Muslim context to promote gender-equitable interpretations of Islam. GEC has conducted several workshops and support groups for young Muslim women in Singapore, including personal empowerment training and sex education workshops. GEC also facilitates support groups for Muslim women who are single mothers and young Muslim women who have experienced religious trauma. ‘Like’ GEC on Facebook here! 

State support for retirement is about meeting basic needs

This post was originally published as a letter in The Straits Times on 24 September 2016

caregivingRecent discussion about collective support for retirement have led to concerns that society may incur a tax burden to create a “culture of helplessness” or coddle the personal failure of individuals to work and save (“Extend helping hand, not handouts, to retirees”, 19 Sep).  However, this characterisation of state support for the elderly misses out the very real phenomenon of impoverishment in old age.

To many impoverished older people, retirement is a luxury that they cannot afford.  State support is needed not to enable a period of optional leisure, but simply to meet basic needs.

Our qualitative research into the lives of impoverished older women has found that for many, financial inadequacy is the result of unpaid care work taken on earlier in life – a form of labour they are sometimes carrying on into old age if they remain caregivers, for instance, of children with disabilities.

Unpaid caregiving for family members – children, siblings or parents – requires an economic sacrifice in terms of a loss in income and Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings.  This unpaid work is not rewarded and thus goes unreflected in these women’s retirement finances, even though this labour is a key component of social investment, especially into the next generation.  In other words, care labour by women carries what economists call “positive externalities” – social benefits unrecognised by the parties to the transaction, but creating value for society as a whole.

Given the value of women’s caregiving and the risk of impoverishment that it brings, especially given women’s longer lifespans, it is not merely fair and equitable that the society which benefits from this unpaid labour helps to sustain it through state support.  It is also a prudent investment into the longer-term sustainability of care.

Caregivers who are inadequately supported experience multiple forms of pressures and lower levels of well-being.  This can increase the risk of ill-treatment of the people under their care, and family relationships can implode under the strain.  Older people’s physical and mental well-being also deteriorates when they do not receive necessary care, for example because their finances do not permit of timely preventative healthcare.

Rather than providing more extensive assistance at greater cost to deal with the consequences of inadequate care, it makes more economic sense to provide early support to both elderly care recipients and caregivers, through state investment in the home care and primary healthcare sector.

Finally, we are concerned that the conditions for impoverishment of older women are being replicated in younger cohorts. In 2015, of the 273,000 women outside the labour force because of “family responsibilities”, there were 147,000 women aged 25-54.[1]  Because care pressures remain gendered, the issue of elderly women’s impoverishment is not going to disappear simply because of inter-generational advances in women’s education.  It is thus prudent to start seriously considering what support we should offer to caregivers to prevent them from ageing into impoverishment.

[1] From Labour Force Survey 2015 (MoM) http://stats.mom.gov.sg/iMAS_PdfLibrary/mrsd_2015LabourForce_survey_findings.pdf

More inclusive political leadership must go beyond presidency

An edited version of this post was originally published in The Straits Times on 19 September 2016.

womenleadersOver the past month, the discussion of race relations and the political representation of minority races has dominated news platforms, with fierce debate taking place around the proposed changes to the Elected Presidency.

The Commission rightly accepts, in its report, that racialised attitudes and biases persist in our society. The rationale behind the Constitutional Commission’s proposal to reserve particular elections to minority races is that “ethnic minorities must neither be perceived nor must they perceive themselves as being unable to access the highest office in the land”.

We agree strongly that representation of diverse races in political leadership is important, and welcome the greater recognition that racism and prejudice are urgent and enduring problems requiring proactive solutions. Members of minority groups need to see people like themselves being represented meaningfully in important public institutions.

This applies to women, too. Singapore has not reached a stage where we are free from gender biases – some unconsciously held – that limit women’s chances to participate fully in the political sphere. For example, some still believe that mothers do not belong in politics because of childcare.

But we are doubtful that the best solution to persisting discrimination is a mechanism to place a single symbolic figure in the Presidency and limiting the choices available to the electorate. It is more important, and builds more public confidence and trust, to address the broader and deeper ways in which women and racial minorities are excluded from advancement and decision-making.

Diversity must also come in terms of values, thinking, background and experience, as well as demographic characteristics.

Recent media reports queried which of six Chinese men – all of whom have either military or public service backgrounds – would be the next Prime Minister. Though women are half the population, there is currently just one female full minister out of 20 individuals in the current Cabinet.

If we are serious about ensuring representative leadership, the much greater executive power of the Cabinet should be a more urgent priority for reform than the Presidency. Moreover, because Cabinet positions are appointed, diversity can be ensured without interfering with electoral choice.

Even if women in politics do not presently have the same level of experience as men, that is not a reason for inaction. After all, following last year’s General Election, two wholly new male MPs were given Acting Minister positions, and the Prime Minister spoke explicitly about longer-term succession planning. Similar efforts should be made to proactively identify and groom female talent, with a view to increasing the profile of women in political leadership over the next few decades.

One inspirational example is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On his election, he famously appointed a Cabinet that fully reflects the actual gender and racial demographics of the Canadian population, with the justification “Because it’s 2015.”

World Suicide Prevention Day: AWARE calls for suicide law reform

This post was originally published as a press release. For the full report, click here.

section309In view of World Suicide Prevention Day, which falls on 10 September, AWARE has today released its report “Distress is not a crime: repeal Section 309”.  The report calls for the reform of suicide laws and the improvement of support systems for those in distress – specifically, it seeks the reform and eventual repeal of Section 309 of the Penal Code, which makes attempted suicide an offence.

“Suicide is a matter for social support and public health, not criminal law,” said Jolene Tan, Head of Advocacy & Research at AWARE.  “Treating people as criminals worsens their distress, rather than resolving the underlying difficulties that lead to suicide attempts.  The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that suicide rates tend to decline in countries after decriminalisation.”

The report argues that even if Section 309 is not repealed, the Criminal Procedure Code should be changed so that it is no longer a seizable offence or an offence that triggers mandatory reporting, as making arrest and reporting mandatory may increase distress and deter help-seeking.

“Ideally a specialist team with psychological first aid training should be the first responders in emergency situations,” said Jolene Tan.  “But if the police are involved, the process can be made less distressing by not requiring arrests.”  

The report includes accounts from women that AWARE spoke to, who had negative experiences with law enforcement action related to Section 309:

  • One woman, E, said that because of the threat of being charged under Section 309, she would try harder to complete any suicide attempt in the future rather than seeking help.
  • A young woman, Z, who was investigated for deliberate non-suicidal self-harm, found the experience traumatising and said it led her to distrust the police.
  • A third woman, B, was taken to lock-up for a suicide attempt which followed her experience of rape.  She found the police officers dealing with her mocking rather than supportive.

World Suicide Prevention Day is an annual worldwide initiative by the International Association for Suicide Prevention and WHO to increase awareness of suicide as a public health issue, and of suicide prevention strategies.

“How society responds to suicide attempts is crucial – the WHO has identified prior suicide attempts as the single most important risk factor for suicide,” said Jolene Tan.

In Singapore, there was an average of about 400 suicides and 1,000 cases of attempted suicide each year between 2010-2014.  While few criminal cases are filed and charged (five and one respectively in 2014), arrests are frequent – 862 in 2013 and 901 in 2014.

“The requirement to arrest creates a significant demand on police resources, which could be better used on developing psychological first aid capabilities and other priorities,” said Jolene Tan.

Dr Adrian Wang, a psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, has said (in prior media reports) that globally, women in general have twice the attempted suicide rate as men. How society treats those who attempt suicide will therefore have a particular impact on women.

In formulating the report, AWARE consulted a range of individuals and groups.  There was broad agreement among stakeholders that more can be done to ensure consistent support and sensitivity from all sectors of society toward people who attempt suicide.

AWARE’s key positions and recommendations  

  1. Legal reform:
    • Section 309 should be repealed.  If it remains in the law, the Criminal Procedure Code should be amended so that it is not seizable and does not trigger mandatory reporting.  
    • Change the law to empower another agency (e.g. SCDF, a specialist support team) to prevent attempts, or give the police power to intervene solely for preventive purposes, without creating criminal liability (analogous to Section 7 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act, but applying beyond “mentally disordered” people).

2. Develop an institutionalised response system for suicide attempts.  For instance:

    • Train all police officers in psychological first aid or,
    • Set up specialised unit within police force who are specially trained or,
    • Partner with NGO/VWO who will provide intervention teams to accompany police when responding to suicide attempts, or
    • Set up a specialist psychological support unit that may also serve as a standby in a national crisis where people may need substantial psychological support.

3. Proactively invest in promoting better support for people experiencing suicidal thoughts throughout all of society, including improving mental health support for all.

For more information about AWARE’s recommendations, please contact Ning Qian at ning@aware.org.sg.

Position Filled: Volunteer Counsellor for AWARE’s Support Services

We are looking for an experienced counsellor to join us as a volunteer counsellor in the Support Services department.

The Support Services department provides help and information for women who are in distress or at a time of uncertainty in their lives. AWARE’s counselling services help women work through and deal with many different problems they face – sexual assault, marital problems, sexual harassment etc.

You should possess the following attributes:

  • Be above 28 years of age
  • Have at least an undergraduate degree with a Diploma in Counselling, or a Degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s degree, or Postgraduate) in Counselling, Social Work, and/or Marriage and Family Therapy.
  • Have at least 4 years counselling experience
  • Be proficient in spoken and written English, and at least one other language: Chinese, Malay, or Tamil

Expected Commitment

  • Complete AWARE’s Helpline training and commit to taking on a minimum of 10 shifts over 6 months
  • Commit one year to volunteer at AWARE with a minimum of 90 hours of counselling over the course of the year.

Counsellors will be paid a transport allowance for every session. If you are interested in this position, please email your CV to supportservices@aware.org.sg. If you have any questions, please drop an email to supportservices@aware.org.sg or call us at 6779 7137.

Position Filled: Catalyse Consulting Executive

Catalyse Logo

We are no longer accepting applicants for this role.

AWARE is looking for a dynamic and efficient Executive to assist with the development of its business unit, Catalyse Consulting.

Catalyse 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 business development 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
  • Management of ongoing client relationships
  • Represent CC at external meetings and events
  • 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
  • Assist with budget management
  • 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
  • Good negotiation skills
  • 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)

How to Apply

Send a cover letter and your CV, including the names and contact numbers of two referees, to: Amy Russell, Manager, Catalyse Consulting at amy.russell@catalyse.sg

Application deadline: Monday, 19 September, 2016 Only shortlisted applicants will be notified.

Film event explored women’s key roles in 70s and 80s Singapore activism

utcOn 4 August, AWARE held a screening of the film ‘1987: Untracing the Conspiracy’, followed by a discussion on the role of women in civil society in the 70s and 80s, as well as the impact that Operation Spectrum has on the women’s movement in Singapore.

Around 35 people attended the event, and the panelists – Teo Soh Lung, Margaret Thomas and Vivienne Wee – shared their memories of that period and how it continues to influence civil society and feminist activism.

The panelists pointed out that 12 out of the 22 detainees (more than half!) were women, and paid tribute to the women ex-detainees – Tang Fong Har, Lim Li Kok and Chng Suan Tze – who had been founding members of AWARE or who had played key roles in the early days of the organisation’s activities. They reflected on how AWARE, set up in 1985, was affected by Operation Spectrum, which took place so soon after. The detentions had a significant impact on the organisation’s leadership and its strategies in pushing for greater gender equity and justice over the years.

Margaret read out a note from Constance Singam, AWARE’s President soon after Operation Spectrum, about the fear and uncertainty that settled over activists at the time as a result of the arrests. She had been with Suan Tze at the time of her arrest, and was rattled by what she saw. “The fear never really left us for a long time. No-one wanted to become AWARE president, and I think it was largely because of this fear… for a long time we didn’t know why they had been detained, and we didn’t know who might be next,” she said.

The discussion also covered women’s roles in civil society in the 70s and 80s. Teo Soh Lung, a lawyer and ex-detainee, shared her experience of volunteering with the Singapore Association of Women Lawyers (SAWL), founded in 1974 by 16 women lawyers with a cause to serve the community through legal advice clinics.

In 1981, Soh Lung set up her own law firm, with the support of two other women lawyers. Soon, their activities became more challenging: they found themselves assisting foreign workers and ex-offenders pro bono, attending to clients of an SOS clinic, and occasionally housing women and children facing abuse.

Soh Lung’s sharing revealed how progressive women lawyers at the time were, and the large role they played in serving disenfranchised groups and pushing for greater access to justice.

The Q&A from the audience focused on student activism and Catholic church workers’ involvement in civil society in the 70s and 80s, the experience of detention and its effect on detainees’ lives, their relationships with one another post-release, and how they continue to contribute to civil society in Singapore today.

More about the Alamak! Awards

In response to questions received from the public, this page offers some further explanation on the goals and approach of the Alamak! award.

First, we acknowledge that – like all forms of public criticism, and especially with the particular tone involved in poking fun – the Alamak! awards can and do cause discomfort and some difficulty for those who are nominated.  We recognise that.

In our view, this negative impact on the nominees should be weighed against the harm that is done by the sexist/misogynist actions or activities in question, as well as the public interest that is served by raising awareness of and expressing social rejection of that sexism/misogyny.  

In our experience, the award has served its goals over the years.  The consistent nature of the awards and the fact that it groups actions during the year together helps to illustrate that each incident is not entirely isolated but rather part of a wider pattern of gender inequality.  Moreover, many people find it easier to approach the issues of sexism and misogyny when they are handled in a more tongue-in-cheek sort of way.  We have generally received positive feedback on the award and we have seen it spark useful discussion.  

Every year we give serious thought to which of the nominations we receive from the public should be put up for voting.  Bearing in mind the aims of the award, some factors we consider include:

– Does the nominee occupy a position of institutional power?

– Are public agencies and/or public monies involved?

– What was the degree of impact of the action on those affected by it?

– How powerful are the actions in question in setting the tone for an institution or society?

– What were the likely intentions guiding the action?

– Has the action in question been publicised before?  If relevant, how has the nominee responded to criticisms, either publicly or in private communication with us?

– Just how distasteful or egregious is the sexism or misogyny in question?

– Was there any plausible or persuasive justification for the action?

– Advertising campaigns have tended to feature prominently in Alamak! in part because we believe that they can contribute greatly to sexist/misogynist societal influences, but are typically carried out only for commercial purposes (so criticism of the nominees is less personal).

It will never be comfortable for someone to face criticism about their own problematic behaviour.  And public criticism undoubtedly carries particular discomfort.  But especially for actions with significant public effects, we believe that this is a productive and in some cases necessary discomfort.  

There is nothing wrong with single parent families.

This post was originally published as a press release on 27 August 2016. 

There is nothing wrong with single parent families
Children of single parents speak up in AWARE’s #asinglelove campaign

27 August 2016 – Two children of single parents are going public with their stories to help show that, despite the challenges they and their parents faced, there was nothing dysfunctional in their families.

The stories of teenage Taekwando enthusiast Isabel Felipa Rivas and creative director Valerie Cheng are told in posters that will appear for the next 10 weeks at stations of the Northeast Line. The posters are part of #asinglelove, AWARE’s initiative to build empathy for and stand up for single parents in Singapore.

val-isabel-phase3The posters feature quotes by Isabel and Valerie about the obstacles they had to overcome as part of a single-parent family – the financial struggles and the stigma of growing up with only one parent.

“We wanted to challenge the stereotype that single-parent families are in some way ‘broken’ or dysfunctional by nature,” said Jolene Tan, Programmes and Communications Senior Manager of AWARE.

“Valerie and Isabel are living proof of the huge potential of children who grow up in a single-parent family. These families and the children in them deserve equal support for their needs – they should not be disadvantaged simply because they do not come from what society considers to be a ‘complete’ family.”

Launched in March this year, in collaboration with Kinetic and Daughters Of Tomorrow, the #asinglelove campaign challenges the stigma and harmful discrimination against single-parent families, that affects their livelihood in very real ways. The movement seeks to:

●  Support and empower single parents through direct services and programmes.

●  Promote more supportive and equitable policies towards single parents.

●  Encourage more welcoming and inclusive attitudes toward single parents.

“I never felt like I had an incomplete family.”

Valerie Chung is Head of Facebook’s Creative Shop in Southeast Asia. Her childhood was not easy as money was scarce.  “My mother’s job as Guest Relations in a hotel meant that she had to work odd shifts, which made it difficult for us to spend more time together,” said Valerie.

Her mother came under tremendous pressure and judgement when she decided to raise Valerie by herself.

Valerie continued, “My mum and I were very fortunate to have support from my extended family who lived together with us in a flat. It never crossed my mind that some people would consider my family “broken”.

Today, Valerie is one of Singapore’s most influential creative directors. She has been awarded at top advertising award shows including Cannes, One Show, London International, Effies, Spikes Asia and Adfest.

When Isabel Rivas’ parents separated, she felt the pressure of having to contribute twice as much to keep the family running. She also stepped up to take care of her younger siblings.

“Not many of my friends know about how things are at home, except my best friend. But my mother is my role model, and I can talk to her and she will understand what I am going through,” the 12-year-old shared.

Support is key component for success

Family support and a stable environment at home go a long way when parents are raising their children alone, whether by choice or by circumstance.

“Struggles with housing, employment, childcare, poverty and social stigma have a major impact on the well-being of single parents and their children,” said Jolene Tan of AWARE.

“When equally supported and allowed to fulfill their potential, children of single-parent families have just as much to contribute to society as any other children. We need to examine the attitudes and policies that may be holding them back.”

The #asinglelove movement will continue to raise the issue of support and equality for single parents to the public and policy-makers.

We invite you to cover this campaign for your media channel, and request that you share the website (http://www.asinglelove.sg) with your community. If you would like to request for an interview with Valerie, Isabel and Isabel’s mother Arlene, please contact Nabilah at media@aware.org.sg.