Focus gender equality | Area served Singapore | |
Founded 25 November 1985 (1985-11-25) Type Non-profit, Non-governmental organization Location Block 5, Dover Crescent, #01-22, Singapore Mission To remove all gender-based barriers so as to allow individuals in Singapore to develop their potential to the fullest and realise their personal visions and hopes. | ||
The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) is a non-governmental organization in Singapore concerned with promoting gender equality. The group was officially formed on 25 November 1985. The group currently has approximately 550 members.
Contents
AWARE is involved in research and advocacy, education and training, and offers support services for women, which include helplines and legal clinics.
Objectives
AWARE's current constitution was last amended on 26 March 2008. This constitution identifies the objectives of AWARE to be:
- to promote the participation of women in all areas, create an awareness of the contribution women make to society and further develop their potential through, amongst other things, education, learning and training opportunities
- to promote gender equality by, amongst other things, educating the public on issues relating to gender, equipping women and men to deal with various forms of discrimination, and creating awareness of their mutual rights and responsibilities
- to promote the well-being of women by, amongst other things, providing emotional, psychological or legal support
- to promote values and norms which would improve the quality of life of women and their families and achieve the betterment of Singapore society as a whole.
Work
In 2011, AWARE launched the Sexual Assault Befrienders Service (SABS), the first support service for survivors of sexual assault in Singapore. A helpline and counselling services were set up under this service.
AWARE has also embarked on several campaigns, such as the We Can! international movement to end violence against women in 2013. This included an anti-domestic violence campaign video (featuring a roleplay of a physically abusive boyfriend), which drew mixed responses from the public.
The organization is also involved in political issues, such as debates on laws and policies – the most current of which is the call for the Singapore Budget to increase its emphasis on family support and social equality.
Takeover attempt by the Church of Our Saviour
In 2009, the group made news when a group of conservative Christian women from the Church of Our Saviour, under the leadership of Josie Lau and orchestrated by Dr Thio Su Mien (mother of then Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Thio Li-ann), took over the executive council of the group alleging a pro-gay agenda. Six of the 11 newly elected executive committee were new members who had only joined three months prior to the election, and 80 of the 120 attendees of the meeting were similarly new members. The old guard called for a no-confidence vote and the new council was voted out of office on 2 May 2009 after almost 3,000 people had joined the group. Of the 2,175 people who voted at the meeting, 1,414 voted for the no-confidence.
Deputy Prime minister Wong Kan Seng commented that "a group of conservative Christians, all attending the same church, which held strong views on homosexuality, had moved in and taken over AWARE because they disapproved of what AWARE had been doing", and called for tolerance, cautioning that religion and politics must be kept separate.