Weiye Loh's Library tagged AWARE → View Popular, Search in Google

May

2012

Singapore Feminism: Fertility and Transnational Immigration « Women Suffrage and Beyond

Only recently have Singapore’s feminists championed domestic workers. Considerable media attention on abusive working conditions has prompted them, as in Canada, to connect racism, disadvantaged international domestic workers, and women’s disproportionate responsibility for caregiving. Protest is led by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) – a nationally recognized women’s organization, which since its formation in 1985 has actively rallied for gender equality in education, marriage, employment and reproductive rights. AWARE aligns itself closely with Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a non-governmental organization campaigning for the ‘Day Off campaign’ aimed at encouraging employers to voluntarily give domestic workers a day off a week (“Day Off”, 2011). TWC2 has also joined with the National Committee of UNIFEM Singapore and the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economic (HUMO) to demand government remedy. Their demands have brought occasional redress. On March 6th, 2012, a new law required all employers to give their foreign domestic workers a day off per week starting January 1, 2013 (Tan 2012). Feminists will need to monitor its impact.

Fertility and immigration in Singapore as elsewhere have always been connected to nation-building. They simultaneously raise questions about women’s rights and the relations among different groups of women. Today the feminist movement in this island-nation has begun to address such concerns and join similar protests across the region and the world.

womensuffrage.org/?p=1013

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AWARE FDW Feminism

Jul

2011

Balderdash: Modes of Feminist Rhetoric

More sexism you won't see AWARE protesting: single men cannot adopt girls

Text of Adoption of Children Act: Restrictions on making adoption orders.

"An adoption order shall not be made in any case where the sole applicant is a male and the infant in respect of whom the application is made is a female unless the court is satisfied that there are special circumstances which justify as an exceptional measure the making of an adoption order."

gssq.blogspot.com/...odes-of-feminist-rhetoric.html

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Gender Stereotype Gender Equality Adoption Children Sexism Feminism AWARE

I don't see why AWARE should prioritize minor forms of discrimination against men when the vast majority of gender discrimination is not directed at men.
B: ah, but what "use" do single men have for girls anyway?
3 more annotation(s)...
- B: Presumably the same 'use' single women have for boys...
- the whole "what about the poor, oppressed men" argument is anti-women. Yes, rape by women does happen and yes men can get raped, but are these really as serious problems in society than women being sexually assaulted? No.
- Ladies nights do not objectify men like that cups promotion. Also Ladies Nights are not examples of misandry. This is like claiming that affirmative action is anti-white racism.

Mar

2011

AWARE: Prohibit gender discrimination and set quota for women in Parliament | The Online Citizen

AWARE-NUSS conference calls for Constitution to prohibit gender discrimination and quota set for women in Parliament

theonlinecitizen.com/...-quota-for-women-in-parliament

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Gender Equality Politics Singapore AWARE

Isn’t us having a min quota for women basically us saying that as a society we believe that a woman is fundementally incapable of succeeding unless she is “helped”?

I would have thought that a more mature approach would be to eliminate all forms of discrimination as per the other recommendations and then allowing women to succeed in their own chosen field?

Though there is one issue with the above that I can see. What if women exercise their freedom to work in fields other than politics. We therefore have a situation where women and men are equal but the female voice is not heard in parliament.

I’m interested to hear what others have to say on this.

Feb

2011

MDA says Aware needs distribution licence for DVD of 2009 meeting

jg69.amplify.com/...icence-for-dvd-of-2009-meeting

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AWARE Law Feminism Gender Equality Singapore Censorship

WOMEN'S advocacy group Aware's plan to distribute a set of DVDs of its dramatic extraordinary general meeting (EGM), held in May 2009, has hit a snag.
The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) has not been able to distribute the DVDs, as it is appealing against a requirement that it needs a government licence to do so.
7 more annotation(s)...
- The MDA has, in the meantime, given the DVD an M18 rating - meaning it should be seen only by those aged 18 and above.
- Aware planned to sell the four-disc DVD box set of the EGM only to its 600 members, as an official record of the event.
  
  But its executive director Corinna Lim, 45, said an MDA official contacted her 'a few days' after news of the $100-per-set DVDs broke last October, to ask if Aware had a distribution licence.
  
  Ms Lim, a former corporate lawyer, said Aware has appealed against the need for one. She argued that the licensing requirement applies to businesses, not non-profit organisations.
- Section 6 of the Films Act states that a person must have a valid licence in order to 'carry on any business, whether or not the business is carried on for profit, of importing, making, distributing or exhibiting films'.
- 'I really take the view that we are not obliged to have a licence, and if they make us have a licence, they would be setting a terrible precedent for Singapore.
  
  'That means any organisation that wants to distribute to your shareholders or just your members would need a licence.'
  
  She noted that recordings of the EGM were online, such as on video-sharing site YouTube.
- But MDA director of customer services and operations Pam Hu told The Straits Times yesterday that the MDA has required some religious and arts groups - and not just businesses - to possess the distribution licence.
  
  Ms Hu added, however, that the MDA is reviewing Aware's appeal and would notify the group of the outcome shortly.
- On the M18 rating, she said this is because the DVDs 'feature discussion of homosexuality and Aware's sexuality programme, which stirs up strong emotion among the members'.
  
  'This contributed to the M18 rating as it requires maturity to understand the issues discussed and not be carried away by the emotive passion of the meeting.'
- Observers were divided on how to interpret the law.
  
  Singapore Management University assistant law professor Eugene Tan said the language of the law does not limit its reach and thus could apply to Aware.
  
  But Professor Ang Peng Hwa, of Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, said Aware should not need a licence as it does not distribute films in its normal course of work.
  
  'If it needs to have a licence, that means any company that does a corporate video will also need (one). MDA will be flooded with licensing (applications),' he said.