Just how prevalent is workplace sexual harassment in Singapore?

A new survey by AWARE and market research company Ipsos—the first-ever nationally representative survey on workplace sexual harassment in Singapore—has revealed a shocking statistic: Two in five workers in Singapore (both women and men) have been sexually harassed at the workplace in the past five years.

Interestingly, around half of those who had experienced sexual harassment did not even know it. When respondents were asked “Have you been sexually harassed in the workplace within the last five years?”, only 1 in 5 said yes. It was only when specific harassment situations were described to them—such as sexual/sexist texts, comments about physical appearance, or attempts to start romantic relationships—that the number doubled.

On top of that, of those who did experience sexual harassment, less than a third had actually taken steps to file an official report.

So now that we have a better-than-ever understanding of the extent of sexual harassment at work… how do we make sense of these findings? And what can we do about this distressingly common problem?

Join AWARE and Catalyse on Wednesday, 10 February 2021, for a panel discussion on workplace sexual harassment in Singapore. Moderated by The Asia Foundation’s Jane Sloane, we’ll approach this issue from a variety of perspectives, touching on:

• The reasons why majority of workplace sexual harassment victims choose not to make reports
• The legal options currently available to victims of workplace sexual harassment
• The government’s perspective on the situation
• The policies and procedures that companies and employers should put in place to adequately address harassment
• What individuals can do if their colleagues have been sexually harassed

Whether you have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in your own office, or want to improve your workplace’s culture and systems to limit future harassment, you can and should play a part in the solution to this problem. Register now to secure your place in the conversation.

Date: Wednesday, 10 February 2021

Time: 8:00pm – 9:30pm

Attendance fee: This event is pay-what-you-can. Suggested donation of $5 per head.

Register here.

Attendance instructions:

1. There is a double registration process for this panel. After registering here, 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. We will be sending reminders before the start time as well.

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

About the speakers:

Jane Sloane (moderator)

Jane Sloane is Senior Director, Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality with The Asia Foundation, based in San Francisco. She provides intellectual and programmatic leadership for The Asia Foundation’s programmes to empower women and advance gender equality in Asia and the Pacific, working with a team in San Francisco and Washington and with the foundation’s 19 country offices in the Indo-Pacific. Jane’s previous roles include Vice President of Programs, Global Fund for Women (San Francisco), Vice President of Development, Women’s World Banking (New York) and Executive Director, International Women’s Development Agency (Australia). Jane holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney and a BA (Hons) from the University of Adelaide. She’s a Senior Atlantic Fellow with the Atlantic Institute in Oxford UK, an advisory board member with the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at London School of Economics and a patron of Marie Stopes International. Jane blogs at janeintheworld.com.

K Thanaletchimi, NTUC

A veteran unionist, Ms K Thanaletchimi was a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2016 to 2018, during which she leveraged her extensive union work experience to address the issues and challenges faced by workers in Singapore, with an emphasis on women, family and healthcare issues. In recognition of her contribution and service to advance the interests and welfare of workers, she received the National Day Award (Public Service Medal) in 2019. Aligned with NTUC efforts, Ms K Thanaletchimi continues to champion workers and play an integral part in supporting working women in Singapore.

Amarjit Kaur, Withers KhattarWong

Amarjit Kaur is a Partner at Withers KhattarWong Singapore and an advocate for gender equality. She is consistently recognised as a leading lawyer in the area of labour and employment across global legal directories, including Doyle’s Guide and Legal 500. She is also regularly quoted by The Business Times, Channel NewsAsia and the BBC as a Singapore employment law expert. Amarjit is a frontrunner in training and performing cultural assessments on the #MeToo movement, and tackling workplace sexual harassment in her professional capacity and beyond. As the global head of the Diversity and Inclusion Branch at Withers, Amarjit leads a working group within the firm that is represented from its global offices to proactively plan for diversity and inclusion initiatives and activities.

Corinna Lim

Corinna is the Executive Director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), Singapore’s largest gender equality group. A respected leader in Singapore’s non-profit world, Corinna led the transformation of AWARE from a volunteer-led organisation to a professionally staffed organisation that substantially increased in size and impact. For over three decades, Corinna’s commitment to issues such as gender-equal workplaces, tackling workplace harassment and tackling domestic violence has been unwavering. Corinna draws from her entrepreneurial, management and leadership experience, and her expertise in law, gender equality and diversity/inclusion, to provide training and consultancy in workplace harassment, developing high-performing teams and more.

Chen Xuan

Xuan is a survivor of various forms of workplace harassment, including sexual harassment, over her career. She has worked as a management consultant and organisational developer at multinational corporations, located both in Singapore and around the world.