One of the most quietly devastating consequences of COVID-19 has been the global surge in domestic violence, as people everywhere are trapped at home with their abusers.

In Singapore, circuit breaker measures in place since the beginning of April have led to a spike of calls to AWARE’s Women’s Helpline. While AWARE received a total of 596 calls in April 2020 (a 20% increase in calls over April 2019), 125 of those calls pertained to domestic violence—a startling 112% increase from the previous year.

Domestic violence—which encompasses a broad range of actions, from breaking objects and hitting to threats, controlling behaviours and even self-harm—can happen to anyone. At the same time, though, certain groups are particularly vulnerable to violence at home and have fewer avenues to seek help. In Singapore, these vulnerable groups include the elderly, foreign domestic workers, migrant spouses and queer-identifying persons. Under the government’s cautious, multi-phase approach to lifting social distancing measures, it seems that these individuals will remain at risk for some time to come.

How do we identify domestic violence when it occurs? What are some myths around violence in Singapore? And what can we do as a community to support those at risk?

Join us on Wednesday, 3 June on Zoom for a panel discussion on domestic violence and the coronavirus in Singapore, moderated by AWARE Head of Research and Advocacy Shailey Hingorani. Focusing on the aforementioned vulnerable groups, this panel will address the factors, both structural and localised, that lead to violence at home. We’ll explore lessons learned from the circuit breaker, and list actions we can take collectively to mitigate domestic violence in the upcoming months.

Everybody deserves to be safe at home.

Our Panellists

Jean Chong

Co-founder of feminist queer women’s organisation Sayoni, Jean Chong has been an LGBTQ activist for 20 years. She was the first female vice-chairperson for gay Christian support network Safehaven, the first chairperson of Free Community Church and a core member of the group People Like Us. Jean is currently the chairperson of the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a regional network of South East Asia LGBTIQ groups, and a co-founder of the South East Asia feminist LBQ Womxn Network.

Jaya Anil Kumar

Jaya Anil Kumar is the Case Manager at the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), an NGO in Singapore that provides services for thousands of migrant workers in need. At HOME, Jaya oversees the casework relating to migrant domestic workers, and provides them advice and guidance on their rights.

Dr Quah Ee Ling Sharon

Dr Quah has done extensive research into migrant spouses and the challenges they face. A senior lecturer in Sociology at University of Wollongong, she is the author of Transnational Divorce: Understanding Intimacies and Inequalities from Singapore (Routledge, 2020) and Perspectives on Marital Dissolution: Divorce Biographies in Singapore (Springer, 2015).

How to watch:

1. There is a double registration process for this panel. After registering on Eventbrite, you will receive an email from AWARE/Eventbrite with instructions on how to register on Zoom (scroll to the bottom of the email for this!). Do check your email (including spam) to ensure that you have received this link.

2. Once you register, you will be led to a Zoom link to join the meeting. Click this link to enter the panel on the day.

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