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Roundtable Discussion: Marital rape

November 7th, 2012 | Events, Family and Divorce, Gender-based Violence, News

November 25, the International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women, marks the start of 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Violence.

This period of activism aims to raise awareness and trigger action on this pervasive human rights violation, significantly ending on Human Rights Day on December 10.

Since 1991, over 4,100 organisations from 172 countries have supported the 16 Days Of Activism. AWARE is one of these organizations. (For more information on what is happening around the world on this period click here.)

Join AWARE’s commemoration of the 16 Days Of Activism at our December Roundtable.

Wong Pei Chi, a key member of the No To Rape Campaign and an AWARE Board Member will speak about the current marital rape immunity law in Singapore and its practical and social implications. How does marital rape immunity affect us as individuals and families as we move toward a more inclusive society?

Event details:

Date: Thursday, December 6, 2012

Time: 7.30pm

Venue: AWARE, Block 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 (130005)

Speaker: Wong Pei Chi

Click here to register.

About the speaker:

Pei Chi has been an AWARE member for three years. She is a key member of the No To Rape campaign, and won the inaugural AWARE Young Wonder award along with fellow team member Jolene Tan in 2011.

As part of the No To Rape campaign, she has communicated with parties who have an interest in marital rape and the related issues, such as Members of Parliament, government officials,
social workers, community leaders, the media, and university groups.

She has also been part of the campaign team’s collective strategy planning, decision-making and research efforts. These include: Explaining the current provisions, why these are inadequate, the consequences for affected people, and questioning embedded narratives on gender roles in marriage and heterosexual relationships which are used to justify the retention of marital rape immunity.

The No To Rape campaign has strengthened her commitment to values of consent, anti-violence and bodily autonomy. As an AWARE Board Member, she hopes to deepen her participation in advocacy for gender equality in Singapore.

Chair: Paroma Ray

Paroma’s work in India involved:
• Monitoring and evaluating the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA). Led a team in field visits to conduct stakeholder interviews, collect data and coordinated with the nodal departments of the government to assess infrastructural issues under the legislation.
• Co-authored Staying Alive: Report on the Monitoring and Evaluation of the Implementation of the PWDVA
• Led advocacy work both at National and State level with Police personnel, members of judiciary, government officers and civil society members

About the No To Rape campaign:

The No To Rape campaign advocates one simple idea: sexual violence by any person, against any person, is criminal violence. Consequently, non-consensual sexual penetration, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator are married to each other, should be treated as rape.