This post was originally published as a press release on 17 October 2016.

Gender equality group AWARE asked guests at its annual gala dinner this year to dig deep into their pockets to support lower-income women.

The donation pledge theme at the WORLD Ball 2016, held on 17 October at the St Regis Singapore, was ‘Building Dreams’.

Some 400 guests were told of a new programme to help lower-income women break the cycle of poverty. A collaboration between AWARE and non-profit group Daughters Of Tomorrow, the programme provides women with back-to-work support comprising confidence-building, skills-training, job placements, mentorship, and entrepreneurial support.

AWARE aims to raise $300,000 from the donation pledges, a silent auction and lucky dip, and the net proceeds from the sale of tables at the gala dinner. The money raised will also go towards AWARE’s research and advocacy efforts for more supportive policies and services for lower-income women.

“The WORLD Ball is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of lower-income women,” said Corinna Lim, Executive Director of AWARE.

“In Singapore, women remain the primary caregivers of children and the elderly, and continue to be especially vulnerable to poverty as a result of financial instability. It is important to develop the necessary support structures for them to be empowered to confidently look for and keep employment should they need to. The positive impact doesn’t end with them; their families benefit as well.”

Recognising champions of gender equality and women’s empowerment

Every year since 2011, AWARE has, with the AWARE Awards, celebrated individuals and organisations that promote gender equality in Singapore. The categories of the awards vary from year to year.

This year, two of the four awards were for being a Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment.

Receiving the award for an organisation is Bettr Barista, a social enterprise that trains women and youths from low-income families and marginalised backgrounds in technical coffee skills. In the individual category, Sarah Tan received the award for single-handedly supporting over 50 mothers and children through her bao-selling business.

The other two awards were for Champion for Gender Equality and Justice. In the individual category, the award went to Kirsten Han, an influential local journalist and activist. The other recipient was The T Project, the only organisation and crisis shelter in Singapore that caters to transgender people .

“The competition was tough this year,” said AWARE 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.

“All the nominees have done outstanding work and are true change-makers in their own right. Our winners this year showcase diversity, perseverance and genuine passion in their own unique causes, all of which contribute greatly to a more just society. We are proud to recognise their achievements.”

2016’s Alamak! Award winner

Even as we work hard to foster gender equality, there are some who hamper its progress in Singapore. The Alamak! Award was created to “honour” these people – our tongue-in-cheek tribute to the most jaw-dropping, facepalm-worthy sexist moment of the year.

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

The stellar nominees this year were victim-blaming lawyer Edmund Wong, the controversial initial acquittal of child-abuser Zunika Ahmad, Eagle Infotech for their poorly designed WSQ course exercise, and the infamous misogynist NUS camp organisers.

The public has spoken and there is a clear winner! With 71% of the 500 votes cast, the winner of the Alamak! Award 2016 is Edmund Wong.

Lawyer Edmund Wong is infamous for his inappropriate remarks in a courtroom to a victim of sexual assault. He asked the woman to stand up while she was on the witness stand so her physical attractiveness could be assessed, and he argued that her attractiveness could have caused the ‘temptation’ to molest.

His behaviour even drew flak from Law Minister K. Shanmugam, who said, “This happens in many places in the world, with court processes which, in my view, are not sufficiently sensitive to what victims have gone through.”

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

Annex A
AWARE Award Winners 2016

Champions for Gender Equality & Justice

Kirsten Han

Freelance journalist and activist Kirsten Han has eloquently used hard-hitting journalism to raise the bar on human rights reports and social commentaries, and centre discussions of gender in social and political conversation in Singapore. Her vocal support of migrant and domestic workers, sex workers, single parents and diverse family structures has been an influential force in steering local discourse. With over 140 published stories in 35 publications, she is a force to be reckoned with.

During the 2015 General Elections, Kirsten steered public attention to the issue of gender. She highlighted the gender imbalance in candidates, offensive remarks about motherhood, stereotypes about women, and lack of racial minority women. She has also bravely and consistently put the spotlight on sexist harassment and trolling of women who are public figures. She is a huge positive force who empowers the vulnerable and marginalised, and makes visible the human faces behind stories that are often swept under the rug.

The T Project

The T Project is the only local organisation and shelter that caters especially to the transgender community. Founded by sisters June Chua and the late Alicia Chua in 2014, their multi-pronged approach of public education, job-creation and crisis shelter, has led to greater public awareness of the lives of transgender people, in particular, transgender women, in Singapore.

Many transgender individuals are kicked out of their homes or abused and rejected by their family and peers, leading to isolation, homelessness and poverty. The T Project provides an immediate safe space for them to seek shelter and find support, as many crisis shelters have limitations on admitting trans folks who have not undergone gender reassignment surgery. For the eight residents they have housed over the last two years, most of whom are women, The T Project was a refuge from a society that was unsafe and unwelcoming for them. June has big plans for the new shelter, which was a result of a successful crowdfunding campaign, and intends to develop a resource and drop-in centre run by transgender volunteers and staff. The T Project has been a leading voice in acceptance of gender identities beyond the binary, amplifying the powerful stories of transgender women – and transgender men – whose struggles are too often omitted from the narrative of gender equality.

Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment (Individual)

Sarah Tan

Choon Ming Bao Dian, run by 52-year-old Sarah Tan, is more than just a snack shop. Sarah Tan sells bao in order to support and create jobs for single mothers, homeless youth and migrant workers. She has been taking these people into her own home for eleven years.

With up to 13 bao stalls all over Singapore at the height of her success, Sarah Tan’s informal social work, which is not done in collaboration with any government or private organisation, has supported over 50 people, most of whom are mothers and children in need, since 2005. Madam Tan’s work has enabled these women to push through hardship and develop greater ownership over their lives. Of the 50 people she has taken in over the years, more than 10 have worked in her bao stalls. Although she had to close ten of her 13 stalls due to financial issues, Madam Tan is determined to bounce back. Her grit and persistence, together with the outpouring of logistical support from members of the public, will certainly see her bao business flourishing again.

Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment (Institutional)

Bettr Barista

Founded in 2011 by social entrepreneur Pamela Chng, Bettr Barista Coffee Academy has trained over 50 individuals, majority being women and youths, from low-income families and marginalised backgrounds, in technical coffee education and other life skills. The selected applicants go through the six-month Bettr Holistic Training Programme where they are given an international-standard coffee education to get them work-ready in the specialty coffee industry. They also go through a customised emotional resilience programme to change mindsets and build confidence, and a physical training programme comprising self-defence training, yoga and outrigger canoeing. The programme incorporates a paid ten-week internship and culminates in three months of full-time work at partner cafes.

The impact of their programme has been considerable. They estimate that a total of 165 dependents have benefited through the programme’s 38 graduates. The skills that participants acquire are immensely helpful not just to them, but also to the children, parents and siblings they often have to support. Bettr Barista looks set to continue to impact the lives of many disadvantaged women and youth, at the same time creating a strong model for local social enterprises to follow.

Annex B
AWARE Award Winners 2016

Acquittal of Zunika Ahmad

In April, a transgender man was cleared of sexual penetration of a minor (despite pleading guilty!) because the Court decided that the accused, Zunika Ahmad, could not be held accountable for his actions through this offence (though he was convicted of other charges). In the Judge’s view, the language of the Penal Code requires the perpetrator to have a penis.  A terrible outcome for many reasons, but particularly bizarre because the law the Judge cited was introduced specifically to address the issue of ‘female sexual abuse of male minors’ (words from Parliament, not us!). This case took us ten steps backward for fairness and justice, setting a bad legal precedent. Thankfully the Court of Appeal have recently overturned this controversial acquittal so things have been set right!

Eagle Infotech Consultants

How best to teach workplace diversity and inclusion, or communications and negotiation skills? Not like this: a WSQ course exercise from Eagle Infotech asked managers to choose which of a list of workers to fire – giving only information about their race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation and political affiliations.  Reading the questions, you’d think that healthy, non-judgmental discussions should not centre on staff’s identities – are they a “talented (…) homosexual”? A “woman with very strong views” (yikes, not one of those!)? Or a“former member of the Worker’s Party”?  With barely a word about performance or ability, what were the trainees meant to discuss?

Lawyer, Edmund Wong

In another courtroom-related facepalm moment, lawyer Edmund Wong, representing the defendant in a sexual assault case, asked the victim to stand up while on the witness stand.  He stared at her breasts and made inappropriate remarks about their size. When she protested, he said that her physical attractiveness could have caused the “temptation” to molest. The victim was visibly affected. Thank goodness for the Judge who censured Wong’s outrageous line of questioning. Wong even defended himself later on by saying, “I didn’t ask what her chest measurements are.” ALAMAK! Who let this guy have a law degree?!

Misogynist NUS Camp Organisers

While many college orientation camp activities have been widely known to be deeply inappropriate and misogynist, some organisers at NUS took their disregard for consent and respect much further – with lurid, detailed re-enactments of rape scenes, horrid and intrusive questions about who is “sluttiest”, and push-ups on top of unwilling women. Some participants said it was “a scary experience”, and that they “wanted to get out so badly”. Hardly a fun time bonding! We hope NUS will seize this opportunity to educate their students on consent, sexual violence and respect.