General Assembly WOM/1875 - Ministry of Social and Family ...

General AssemblyWOM/1875Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New YorkCommittee on Elimination ofDiscrimination against Women993 rd & 994 th Meetings (AM & PM)SINGAPORE SAYS GENDER EQUALITY CENTRAL TO COUNTRY’S PROMISINGSOCIO-ECONOMICGROWTH, AS DELEGATION REPORTS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF WOMEN’SCONVENTIONAnti-Discrimination Committee Calls on Country to Drop Remaining ReservationsTo Convention, Ratify other Human Rights Treaties, Combat Stereotypes, TraffickingSingapore’s delegation to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination againstWomen asserted today that gender equality was central to the country’s burgeoning socioeconomicgrowth and responded to the Committee’s concerns over trafficking in persons,reservations to the women’s Convention, reinforced stereotypes and other issues, as itpresented its latest periodic report.“With people as our only natural resource, it follows that investing in, developingand maximizing the full potential of every individual, male or female, is a priority,” saidHalimah Binte Yacob, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sportsand head of the delegation. She stressed that implementation of the Convention on theElimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was an ongoing process thatinvolved Government agencies, businesses, unions and employers, and civil society,representatives of which were present today.Singapore had risen to tenth out of 138 countries on the United Nations GenderInequality Index, she said, noting that maternal health was among the best in the world,women’s literacy had risen to 93.8 per cent and over half of entering students in universitieswere female. Stereotypes were disappearing — though that was “a work in progress”, andwomen’s participation in the work force had increased from below 30 per cent in the 1970sto 56.5 per cent in 2010. Women were also heavily represented in civil service and thejudiciary, including in leadership positions.She described multiple initiatives recently introduced to overcome challenges forbetter work-life integration, to ensure that women’s skills remained up-to-date and topromote fathers’ responsibility for child care. Following the most recent elections, over 22per cent of members of Parliament were women. She stressed that through variousplatforms, the Government actively encouraged the political participation of women from allwalks of life, something that would also increase with better education and the growingacceptance of women in public office.On issues involving sharia applicable to the Muslim minority, she said that relevantagencies, along with the Islamic Religious Council, had undertaken a major project to ensure

that religious law remained dynamic and responsive to the interest of women. As a result,the minimum age for Muslim marriage had been raised to 18, religious edicts on fairerproperty division had been issued and the blanket reservation against articles 2 and 16 ofthe Convention had been withdrawn. She added, however, that it was necessary to maintainthe reservation against specific elements of those articles because of the need of the Muslimminority to practice their family and personal laws, though she pledged that the issue wouldbe kept under review.Outlining measures to combat sexual exploitation and abuse of domestic workers,she also described extensive efforts to stem trafficking in women, including an enhancedlegal code, victim’s services and the creation of a multi-agency task force.Following her presentation, experts welcomed progress in the socio-economicsituation of women and the partial repeal of reservations, but they called on the country todrop remaining reservations to the Convention, to ratify other human rights conventions, totake proactive measures to increase women’s participation in various spheres, to combatstereotyped roles and to bolster efforts to combat trafficking in persons, among other efforts.Explaining the remaining reservations to articles 2 and 16, a delegate from theIslamic Religious Council of Singapore said they were meant to accommodate such Muslimfamily factors as the guardian’s permission for marriage, and various issues in divorce andpolygamy. He stressed that there were mechanisms of recourse in all those areas and thatsharia required that men prove they were qualified for additional marriages, with a result thatthe practice had declined to only 0.08 per cent of unions. One expert suggested that thepractice be allowed to stand, to satisfy religious requirements, but that it be agreed that nomen were qualified for it.Some experts stressed that, even though women were making progress inparticipation in many sectors, so-called temporary special measures of affirmative actionwere needed to reach equal participation in more areas. Others voiced concern over thereinforcement of gender stereotypes, through widespread plastic surgery for women andreiteration of the idea of men as heads of households.In response to many questions on Singapore’s efforts to combat trafficking in personsand when it might accede to the so-called Palermo Protocol concerning human trafficking ofthe United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, Ms. Yacob agreedwith the gravity of the situation and the need to continually step up vigilance and strengthenlegal measures. While the country was not a party to that Protocol, the language of theinstrument had been adopted in addressing that issue. She outlined initiatives in protectionof victims and investigation of perpetrators, and said that a forthcoming national plan ofaction would augment those efforts with awareness-raising programmes.In urging the ratification of additional treaties, experts stressed the importance of theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant onEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights and seven other such treaties, as well as the OptionalProtocol of the women’s Convention, itself. They also discussed the need forcomprehensive anti-discrimination language in national law and recalled that Committee hadrecommended the creation of a national human rights instrument in line with the ParisPrinciples.The delegation replied that while Singapore lacked specific legislation prohibitingdiscrimination based on gender, article XII of its Constitution guaranteed the equal protectionof all people under the law and, therefore, prevented discrimination based on gender, maritalstatus, age, disability or other such grounds. On the issue of other human rights treaties,Ms. Yacob said her Government considered them very seriously, but stressed that the

principles involved were applied except for the provisions with which the country disagreed.“We don’t want ratification for the sake of ratification,” she added.The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will meet againat a time and place to be announced.

BackgroundThe Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met thismorning to consider the fourth periodic report of Singapore (documentCEDAW/C/SGP/4).Leading the delegation was Halimah Binte Yacob, the Minister of State forCommunity Development, Youth and Sports. She was joined, also from the Ministry, by OngToon Hui, Deputy Secretary; Lim Hwee She, Coordinating Director of CorporateManagement; Noorul Farha As’art, Assistant Director of Women’s Development; and KwanSui Fen Karen, Manager of Women’s Development.The delegation also included, from Singapore’s Permanent Mission to the UnitedNations, Vanu Gopala Menon, Permanent Representative; Kok Li Peng, Deputy PermanentRepresentative and Counsellor; and Chan Yu Ping, First Secretary.Also joining were Ng Chun Pin, Director of Tripartite Programmes andInternational Labour at the Labour Relations and Workplaces Division of the Ministry ofManpower; Tan Sew Lan Janice, Deputy Director of Security of the Policy andOperations Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs; Liew Wan Choo Fereen, DeputyDirector of Primary Care and Community Mental Health of the Ministry of Health; DaviniaFilza Binte Abdulaziz, Deputy Senior State Counsel for the International Affairs Divisionof the Attorney-General’s Chambers; and Sofia Binte Md Sharif, Senior Manger of theInternational Relations Unit of the Ministry of Manpower’s Workplace Policy and StrategyDivision.The delegation also included, from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, IrwanHadi bin Mohd Shuhaimy, Assistant Head of the Office of the Mufti and Secretary of theFatwa Committee; and Raihanah Binte Halid, Executive in the Office of the Mufti.

Introduction of ReportMs. BINTE YACOB said gender equality was central to the continued rapidsocio-economic progress in Singapore. “With people as our only natural resource, itfollows that investing in, developing and maximizing the full potential of every individual,male or female, is a priority.” Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of AllForms of Discrimination against Women was an ongoing process that requiredownership by all stakeholders. Besides Government agencies, businesses, unions andemployers, her Ministry worked closely with civil society, representatives of which werepresent today. She was pleased to announce that, last year, the country had ratified theamendment to article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention.Singapore, she explained, was a parliamentary republic with a writtenConstitution, which guaranteed the principles of equality and non-discrimination. Theobligations of the women’s Convention were also realized through acts of Parliament,subsidiary legislation, policies and programmes, all of which were reviewed regularlyand provided avenues for individual women to pursue gender equality. What she calleda “whole-of-Government” approach was taken to advance such equality. A group ofsenior Government officials of all key agencies coordinated efforts related to theConvention, and that process was supported by the Office for Women’s Development inher Ministry, recently upgraded from what was known as “the Women’s Desk”.Aided by such governance and robust socio-economic development, women inSingapore had come a long way, she said. The country was ranked tenth out of138 countries on the United Nations Gender Inequality Index. In the World EconomicForum’s gender gap index, the country had risen almost 30 places in one year, from84 in 2009 to 56 in 2010. International organizations had also recognized the country’sexcellent health-care system, with a maternal mortality rate among the lowest in the world, at2.6 per 100,000 births in 2010 and zero in 2009. Women had a literacy rate of 93.8 per cent,and female students made up more than half the full-time intake at local universities andwere now well represented in traditionally male-dominated subjects. Stereotypes weredisappearing and women’s participation in the labour force had increased from below 30 percent in the 1970s to 56.5 per cent in 2010.Concerted efforts in helping people fulfil career aspirations, including grants to spurflexible working arrangements, had resulted in adoption by an increasing number ofcompanies of work-life integration initiatives. Since the last report, means-tested subsidiesfor child care and kindergarten had been significantly enhanced. Significant enhancementshad been made to maternity benefits, and tax relief supported working mothers andcaregivers. A national “dads for life” movement had been launched to encourage sharedcare-giving responsibilities. Enhanced paid child-care leave had resulted in many morefathers taking off time for child care. Women made up 25.3 per cent of employers in 2010and constituted 56 per cent of the civil service, as well as 59 per cent of the top-twocategories of officers. Six of the 22 top civil service posts were occupied by women, andmore than half of the judicial officers in the subordinate courts and just under 20 per cent ofthe Supreme Court were women.She said efforts were ongoing to overcome challenges for better work-life integration,to ensure that women’s skills remained up-to-date and to support elderly women in a rapidlyaging society. Measures were put in place to allow older people to work longer, to providebetter annuity opportunities, to maintain their health and to obtain financial maintenance fromtheir children.

Following the most recent elections, she said, over 22 per cent of members ofParliament were women. She stressed that through various platforms, the Governmentactively encouraged the political participation of women from all walks of life, something thatwould also increase with better education and the growing acceptance of women in publicoffice.Underlining Singapore’s commitment to human rights in a regional context, shereported significant developments on the practice of sharia in Singapore, through the work ofrelevant agencies with the Islamic Religious Council and other stakeholders who hadundertaken a robust comparative legal study and law reform to ensure that the religious lawremained dynamic and responsive to the interest of women. As a result, Singapore hadwithdrawn its reservation against articles 2 and 16 of the Convention. The minimum age ofMuslim marriage had been raised from 16 to 18 years old, and religious edicts issued tosecure the financial welfare of Muslim women. However, it was necessary to continue tomaintain the reservation against specific elements of articles 2 and 16 of the Conventionbecause of the need of the Muslim minority to practice their family and personal laws. Thedelicate balance of the multicultural, multireligious society must be actively maintained, shestressed, while she assured the Committee that the Government would continue to review itsConvention reservations in the context of societal needs and obligations.On measures taken to protect vulnerable women, she said laws had beenenhanced to protect women and girls against exploitation for commercial sex. It hadbeen made an offence to purchase sexual services from a minor under 18 either inSingapore or overseas, to organize child sex tours or to print, publish or distribute anyinformation that promoted commercial sex exploitation of minors under 18. The Childand Young Persons’ Act had been amended this year to enhance child protection ofboth boys and girls, and serious sex abuse was now subject to tougher penalties. Thisyear had also seen the formation of an inter-agency task force on trafficking in persons,as part of the strengthening of the strategy consisting of prevention, prosecution,protection and partnerships. There was a comprehensive set of legislative,administrative and educational measures to protect foreign domestic workers, whichwere reviewed on a regular basis. A new employment agency regulatory frameworkintroduced this year aimed to minimize abuses. She acknowledged that theGovernment would need to work more closely with countries of origin to overcome suchchallenges as the debt burdens accrued by migrants prior to their arrival in Singapore.In conclusion, she reiterated Singapore’s commitment to the full and practical realizationof its Convention obligations.

Experts’ Questions and CommentsDUBRAVKA ŠIMONOVIĆ, expert member from Croatia, asked about Singapore’splans for the potential future ratification of the Optional Protocol to the women’s Convention.She also wondered what role the country’s Parliament played in Singapore’s interactionswith international treaty bodies. Had it received the concluding observations from theCommittee’s previous review?She wished to know more about Singapore’s dualist legal system. The Committeeunderstood that it was not possible to directly invoke articles of the Convention in thecountry’s courts. Was that correct? Was it then possible for courts themselves to makereferences to relevant parts of the Convention? Noting that Singapore had not followed therecommendation to create a comprehensive prohibition of discrimination, which wascontained in the Committee’s previous concluding observations, she asked if it would nowconsider doing so.She was pleased that Singapore was “taking steps in the right direction”, andprogress was evident, for example, through the partial withdrawal of some initial reservationsto the Convention. However, some reservations remained. What obstacles stood in the wayof their withdrawal?PATRICIA SCHULZ, expert member from Switzerland, said that despiteSingapore’s ratification of the Convention, the Committee was concerned that itsaccession to other important international treaties — especially the InternationalCovenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights — was lagging. Would the country ratify the seven othermajor international treaties? If so, what was the time frame for that process?Further, there seemed to be a discrepancy between the assertion of Singapore’sConstitution that all people were equal and entitled to protection under the law, on the onehand, and a clause saying that only Singapore’s citizens were afforded legal protection.Could the delegation clarify the discrepancy? Like other experts, she was concerned aboutSingapore’s lack of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. Its Constitution prohibited andcriminalized male homosexuality, she noted. How did that affect lesbians? Finally, themedia were fined for “presenting lesbianism as acceptable”, she said, asking how Singaporecould reconcile such activities with the principles of the Convention.VICTORIA POPESCU, Committee Vice-Chairperson and expert member fromRomania, said that she hoped the country would ratify the Convention’s Optional Protocol,and asked for more information on steps taken towards that aim. Ensuring Singapore’sstated commitment to human rights through real implementation was critical. To that end,the Committee had recommended the creation of a national human rights instrument in linewith the Paris Principles, as well as a national mechanism for monitoring the Convention’simplementation and for handling discrimination complaints filed by women.The drafting of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, along with a specific lawprohibiting discrimination based on gender, was critical, she agreed with other experts. TheCommittee, therefore, strongly recommended an amendment to Singapore’s Constitution, inorder to introduce those elements, or alternatively, the enactment of specific antidiscriminationlegislation.Noting that various forms of discrimination, especially against disadvantaged women,were still prevalent, she echoed concern that the Convention had not yet seen a “fulldomestication” in Singapore. Could the delegation provide information on steps taken —

and those still outstanding — to better enforce the Convention and to allow for its invocationin national courts?YOKO HAYASHI, expert member from Japan, said that Singapore’s economicgrowth had opened a “wealth of opportunities” for women in Singapore. However, thecountry needed to ensure that all growth was in line with the principle of gender equality. Inthat light, what budget was allocated to women’s development, and what percentage of theoverall budget did that constitute?As much progress had been affected through the work of the inter-ministerialcommittee, she wondered about that committee’s engagement with the national Parliament.Was gender training of various professionals in place? Had any work been done toincorporate migrant women and foreign wives into the national legislative provisions?

Delegation’s ResponsesThe head of the delegation said that while Singapore lacked specific legislationprohibiting discrimination based on gender, article XII of its Constitution clarified theimportant principle of equality. That article guaranteed the equal protection of all peopleunder the law, and therefore prevented discrimination based on gender, marital status, age,disability or other such grounds. No cases along those lines had yet come before theSingapore courts, but cases falling under similar jurisdiction showed that it was possible.That article was in line with local academic opinion, she continued. The Governmentworked through both legal and non-legal channels, under the purview of the inter-ministerialcommittee, to counter discrimination. Additionally individual forms of discrimination fellunder the appropriate ministry, she said, or were referred to the Tripartite Alliance for FairEmployment Practices. Legislation also covered some of those specific areas.With regard to the position of the Convention in domestic law, she said that thetreaty’s provisions did not automatically become part of the law. But a woman facingdiscrimination could invoke the principle of equality under Singapore’s national law.Reporting on and dissemination of international recommendations was taken seriously, andtheir implementation was monitored; for example, the recommendations from theCommittee’s last review had been disseminated all the way to the Office of the PrimeMinister himself.A delegate from the Attorney-General’s Chambers took the floor to addressSingapore’s dual jurisdiction status. In practice, if an individual wished to cite a principle ofthe Convention in court, he or she would not invoke that principle directly, but would firstrefer to the relevant national law. Courts, however, had referred to the relevant internationalstandards in several instances, which had established a precedent.On the conflict between the Convention and the Constitution’s article XII, the pointwas not to limit the guarantee of equality only to citizens of Singapore; it was simply anadditional clause added to refer to specific grounds of discrimination, she said. Singaporehad given further consideration to the Convention’s Optional Protocol following the lastreview in 2007, and after careful consideration, it had decided not to accede to it. Singaporefelt that it had sufficient mechanisms in place to address discrimination, and assured theCommittee that the Convention’s implementation was under constant review.Another member of the delegation said that Singapore did not condone anydiscrimination in the workplace. National legislation offered avenues for both complaint andredress. Complementing that legislative approach, the Tripartite Alliance aimed to changethe mindsets and behaviours of employers. It had concluded guidelines on fair employmentpractices, which provided for equal hiring practices. It was also important to note that only0.2 per cent of women had cited discrimination as their reason for not working, she said.Another delegate added that the reservations to articles 2 and 16 had only beenpartially withdrawn as some parts of the domestic framework, or sharia made parts of thosereservations necessary.To elaborate further, a delegation member from the Islamic Council of Singapore saidthat sharia made an allowance for men to engage in polygamy in very exceptionalcircumstances. However, only 0.08 per cent per cent of marriages were polygamous andthat represented a significant decline. All applications for such marriages were rigorouslyreviewed, he stressed. Additionally, the first wife had several avenues of recourse available,including appealing on the decision to allow a polygamous marriage, or filing for divorce.

Another sharia provision that prevented the full withdrawal of reservations was a rulethat women who wished to get married must have a legal guardian, or a “wali”. However, itwas ensured that the right of a woman to be heard was integrated into that wali requirementunder Singapore’s national laws.On divorce, several grounds existed for women to seek recourse, he said.Those included infidelity, failure of a husband to provide for physical and emotionalneeds and abuse or violence. After a divorce, a time period must elapse before a newmarriage was permitted, he added. He then shared specific recent developments in theareas of inheritance law, namely that many of those laws were now in harmony withprovisions of civil law, including in the area of property division, as well as with theConvention. Since the last review, Singapore had raised the minimum age of marriagefrom 16 to 18 for both genders. However, written law still allowed for the marriage of agirl between the ages of 16 and 18 under exceptional circumstances. Marriages in thatage group had nonetheless dropped by 80 per cent in recent years.The head of the delegation then addressed the issue of other human rights treaties.Singapore’s Government took ratification very seriously and had fully considered itspotential obligations under those treaties. However, she stressed, “we don’t want ratificationfor the sake of ratification”. Simply because Singapore had not ratified those treaties did notmean that those principles were not applied — in fact, they were, but it did not agree withcertain provisions.On the lack of a national human rights commission, she said the end goal was toachieve gender equality. Singapore felt that aim could be achieved through its existingmechanisms. The inter-ministerial committee was an important element of that machinery,and, in fact, went beyond the scope of the Convention to encompass other critical humanrights elements. It was also supported by the Office of Women’s Development, which wasable to address new and emerging issues in a more targeted way.On budgets for women’s issues, it was difficult to state a figure as the ministries allworked collectively. Through all those offices, she said, a strong budget was available.Singapore believed that the “different” approach brought together more areas of expertise,she added.More than half of those working in the civil service were women, anothermember of the delegation said. All of those employees underwent a series ofobligatory training on the protection of the rights of different stakeholder groups,including women, which naturally imposed a gender perspective. There was also,increasingly, a requirement to engage in consultation with the affected stakeholdersbefore a new legislation was enacted. All law-enforcement professionals were strictlytrained on handling gender issues, and abided by strict guidelines.

Experts’ Questions and CommentsVIOLETA NEUBAUER, expert member from Slovenia, said it appeared that anumber of ministries, including that of finance, did not participate in the Governmentgroup dedicated to the implementation of the Convention. She asked whether gendermainstreaming was widely applied or if there was a more narrow approach. Regardingspecial temporary measures of affirmative action, she said that was not enough totreat women equally in many areas. Often, special measures were required to fulfil thetreaty obligations. The problem was not always disadvantages of women, but theadvantages already enjoyed by men. She asked if proactive efforts were beingconsidered to help increase women’s participation on boards of public organizationsand to ensure participation of women with disabilities.AYSE FERIDE ACAR, expert member from Turkey, said she was concernedabout the overemphasis on women’s beauty in Singapore, including increased plasticsurgery, which reinforced the idea of women as sex objects. In addition, she said, itappeared that the role of men as heads of households was being reinforced. Sheasked what kinds of programmes were being put in place to counter thosestereotypes. Regarding the remaining reservations to the Convention, she said “it wasimportant to achieve equality of results, not just equality of opportunity”.NAELA MOHAMED GABR, expert member from Egypt, recommended a review ofbest practices of other Muslim countries to see how sharia was integrated. She encouragedthe ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on DomesticWorkers. On trafficking, she asked if the Government was working with civil societyorganizations. She said the legal definition of trafficking was too narrow, and she askedabout services for the protection of victims and witnesses. She also asked when theGovernment might accede to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking inPersons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) of the United NationsConvention against Transnational Organized Crime.SOLEDAD MURILLO DE LA VEGA, expert member from Spain, congratulatedSingapore on having extended maternity leave, but said the father’s responsibility forchild care was not addressed strongly enough. She noted also that women could notdo military service. Pointing to advertisements in magazines, she asked if Singaporeregulated international marriage agencies, and if the Government intervened to assistwomen who developed problems in the resulting marriages. She asked also what wasdone to prevent discrimination against divorced single mothers or widows. Finally, sheasked how violence against domestic workers was addressed.SILVIA PIMENTEL, Committee Chairperson and expert member from Brazil, askedhow a grievance of gender stereotyping could be brought, if a general anti-discrimination lawwas being considered and if reform of censorship laws on homosexual matters was beingconsidered. She also asked about laws to prevent domestic violence in the context of samesexrelationships.ISMAT JAHAN, expert member from Bangladesh, said that, in practice, traffickingvictims were usually deported, so they were discouraged from reporting the crime, and as aresult, few substantiated cases had been brought to justice. The full means called for by thePalermo Protocol, therefore, was not being applied. She asked what was being done toredress the situation, as well as what kind of monitoring of the trafficking task force wasbeing conducted. She added that restrictive immigration laws could increase trafficking. Ondomestic foreign workers, she asked if separate legislation for their protection was beingconsidered. Finally, she asked about protection measures for foreign wives.

ZOHRA RASEKH, Vice-Chairperson and expert member from Afghanistan, askedabout the mandate and accomplishments of the anti-trafficking task force, as well as aboutany efforts to reduce the demand for trafficked women or to educate migrant workers toprevent them from becoming victims of trafficking. She also asked about funding for nongovernmentalorganizations working to help trafficking victims and about education to helpmigrants from falling into trafficking or other forced servitude.VIOLET TSISIGA AWORI, Committee Rapporteur and expert member from Kenya,said that Singapore’s definition of trafficking was narrower than the language in the PalermoProtocol, so the full extent of trafficking might not be confronted. Training for lawenforcement and other stakeholders was also needed. She asked about monitoring andassessment of the trafficking task force.

Delegation’s ResponsesMs. YACOB agreed with the gravity of the trafficking situation and the need tocontinually step up efforts on vigilance and legal measures. She said that the lawallowed targeting both domestic and overseas traffickers. While the country was not aparty to the Palermo Protocol, the language of that instrument had been adopted inaddressing the issue. In addition, the claims of those who said they were victims oftrafficking were taken seriously. There was a template for law enforcement officers toelicit information to determine whether or not a person was a victim, and they weretrained to deal with trauma. Resources were available to deal with foreign-languagevictims. There were clear guidelines on investigating trafficking claims.Victims, she said, were provided shelter, and the sufficiency of the three existingshelters was constantly reviewed. At present, the facilities were only 80 per cent full. Therewere also networking systems to ensure that victims’ needs were met. Foreign embassieshad been contacted to ensure that information on victims was passed on to the lawenforcementauthorities, but often there was no follow-up. That area had to bestrengthened. The approach to trafficking was proactive. More than 40 per cent ofinvestigated cases arose from that proactive approach. The task force coordinated allrelated initiatives and worked with the international inter-agency task force, and had workedwith the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). A forthcoming nationalplan of action would augment those initiatives with awareness-raising programmes.Specific to public education campaigns, a delegate said that Singapore, alongwith other member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), waspart of an initiative of the organization Child Wise on child sex tourism. Diligent borderchecks served to interrupt the supply of victims, and perpetrators were subjected totough penalties. All suspected sex workers were questioned in several languages, andthose identified as victims were treated as victims. In 2010 alone, she said, 24 childsex tourism perpetrators had been arrested.On the rights of foreign domestic workers, a delegate from the Ministry of Manpowersaid that Singapore engaged in the regular review of legislation, enforcement and outreachmeasures. There was extensive coverage of the rights of those workers. All employerswere responsible for adequate conditions, health, housing and the personal well-being oftheir foreign employees, and those who did not comply could be prosecuted and punished.The new employment agencies act had been enacted specifically to make sure thatemployment agents could not charge exorbitant rates, she continued. While Singapore’sstrong regulatory framework had drawn many foreign domestic workers, a survey had shownthat most were happy. Seven out of ten surveyed said that they intended to stay inSingapore beyond the length of their current contract, and almost 90 per cent were aware oftheir employment rights.Regulating domestic work was difficult, she said, and would require furtherreview and consultation with stakeholders. Singapore was reviewing the sufficiencyof its current provisions, including penalties for those violating the rights of domesticworkers.On the portrayal of women in the media, a delegate from the Ministry of Health saidthat a multipronged approach was in place. Self-esteem and positive body images wereused in schools, as were emotion management programmes and other supportive services.Medical practitioners that did not follow national laws on aesthetic practices were liable topenalties, she added. They were also subject to publicity regulations, requiring that ads be

factual and not misleading. Only licensed institutions could advertise medical procedures,and an advertising standards monitoring body existed.Another delegate said that Singapore had adopted a definition of “head of household”to mean the person generally acknowledged as such by other members of the household, orthe person who managed the family’s affairs. That definition was quite gender neutral, shepointed out. Efforts had been made in recent years to emphasize the importance of rolesharingin families. Initiatives were under way in public schools to promote activefatherhood, and they were beginning to gain traction and bear fruit.Currently, she said, only male citizens had mandatory military service.However, no rule existed excluding women from serving if they so chose.Furthermore, it was not true that men in national service earned more than women; infact, in many occupations the reverse was true. Taking the floor, another delegatesaid that matchmaking agencies in Singapore were registered legally; while theindustry was not officially regulated, those services gained credibility by becomingaccredited. Such agencies also had to abide by advertising guidelines, includingrequirements that ads portray images respectful of human dignity, and that they neverpromise or guarantee marriages, among others. If they failed to comply, their adswould not be published.It was true that the Ministry of Finance and others were not represented in the interministerialcommittee. That was because their work was not directly relevant to ensuring theequality of women, she said. Those ministries would be consulted if issues related to theirsubject matter arose. The fact that the Ministry of Finance, in particular, was notrepresented did not mean that financial issues were neglected, she stressed. However,further engagement with that Ministry could be proposed.Singapore felt that special temporary measures should only be used in very urgentcases or to rectify severe imbalances, she added. The country believed that its policieswere, by and large, gender neutral, and that temporary special measures, therefore, werenot required.

Experts’ Questions and CommentsMs. SCHULZ, expert from Switzerland, again asked what prevented theratification of treaties, if Singapore was already living by their principles. Did thecountry plan to repeal the section of the Penal Code on male homosexuality? In arelated vein, the delegation had not responded to the question about the status oflesbians. Could the delegation explain whether all employment discrimination casescould be brought to court, or if any exceptions existed?Unfortunately, she said, she still had not fully grasped the situation of theConvention’s implementation in Singapore. It still seemed that the treaty was notdomesticated. Could the delegation offer a comment?Ms. ŠIMONOVIĆ, expert member from Croatia, referred to the “Ministry ofManpower”, which she said was oddly named considering the issues under review today.With respect to the partial withdrawal of reservations to the Convention, she felt that goodanswers had been given, but additional questions existed, including whether article 2 wouldbe domesticated and how it would fit into national law. Why did reservations still exist toarticle 2(a) if, in fact, no discrimination existed?Ms. ACAR, expert from Turkey, called for more information about the “head ofhousehold” definition. In the last census, what percentage of household heads had beenmen, based on the criteria mentioned? What was being done to counteract the prevalentattitudes that men were automatically the heads of households?Ms. MURILLO DE LA VEGA, expert from Spain, said that the implementation of theConvention was still not seen in Singapore. She requested more information on the controlsplaced on marriage agencies, and asked the delegation to discuss its policy on marriageswith immigrants. Additionally, was paternity leave considered a right in Singapore?RUTH HALPERIN-KADDARI, expert member from Israel, appreciated the wideprocess of consultation, which the delegation had described in many instances of legislativedrafting, as well as the work Singapore had done with experts aimed at harmonizing ofdomestic law with sharia. She wondered if there were women on the Islamic ReligiousCouncil, and whether any women leaders represented the Muslim community at large.Ms. POPESCU, Vice-Chairperson and expert from Romania, asked again about thedomestication of the Convention. She was concerned, in particular, about its position inSingapore’s dual legal system. What had the Government done, including by enactingspecial laws, to attempt to domesticate it? If it was not incorporated into domestic law insome way, she stressed, the Convention was essentially “useless”. Additionally, thedelegation had noted that it was not possible to invoke the Convention directly in courts.What measures were being taken to change that fact?Secondly, she returned to the issue of a human rights commission. While thedelegation had stated that its inter-ministerial committee performed an equivalent function tosuch a body, “they’re completely different”, she emphasized. The inter-ministerial committeewas a Government body with a precise mandate related to the Convention, while a humanrights body was designed as an independent institution in line with the Paris Principles. Thecreation of such a commission would help Singapore go beyond the declared level of itscommitment, she said, encouraging it do so and to report to the Committee on a proposedtimeframe.

Delegation’s ResponsesThe head of the delegation took note of the expert’s comment regarding the name ofthe “Ministry of Manpower”, and said that she would pass the comment along to theappropriate parties within the Ministry.She said that questions about the domestication of the Convention had already beenfully addressed, and further reassured the Committee that Singapore’s adherence to theprinciples of the Convention was not a “mere declaration”. The intent and purpose of itsdomestic laws were aligned with the Convention, if not, with all of its exact language.Taking the floor to augment that explanation, another member of the delegationsaid that Singapore’s dualist system, by which domestic laws took precedence, wasused and respected by many other countries. Nevertheless, the fundamental freedomsenshrined in the country’s Constitution, including those in article XII, were enforceable incourt; since those constitutional laws were well aligned with the Convention, they weresubsequently also respected. She also reminded the Committee that while internationaltreaties were not directly applicable in court, the courts themselves would refer to themin their decisions. That had been done in several instances, which had set a legalprecedent.Regarding article 2 of the Convention, she wished to correct the misperceptionthat Singapore’s was a wide-ranging reservation. In fact, the reservation referred only topersonal and religious law. Both Articles 2 and 16 appeared elsewhere in national law,outside of those limited areas.Moving to article 5 of the Convention, she elaborated on Singapore’s domesticframework, which protected women from family violence. Victims of such crimes could applydirectly to courts for protection; family violence was a “sizeable” offence, and if one wasfound guilty, serious penalties existed. Other articles supplemented the Constitution inprotecting citizens from violent acts. Further, under the implementation framework, womencould apply for immediate protection and temporary assistance, including shelter. Medicaland other services were also available through a network of providers.A delegate from the Islamic Religious Council added that, in 2006, a fatwa hadbeen enacted allowing women to sit on the appeals boards of sharia courts; severalinitial appointments of women had since been made, marking the significant entry ofwomen into sharia courts in Singapore and “setting a tone” for the future. Women hadalso sat on the Islamic Religious Council, he said, and among other recent progress,seven female religious scholars had been appointed to serve as advisers to theCouncil.Turning to the question of a national human rights commission, the head of thedelegation reiterated that the goals and objectives of gender equality could beachieved under Singapore’s current structure. She was not aware of any legislationrequiring the heads of household to be men; any other understanding of the matterwas a misconception.It was not possible to “100 per cent eradicate” negative stereotypes, she said,but many efforts were under way to do so, especially through measures targetingfathers. “The mindsets are changing,” she said, but added “it is a work in progress”.There were no plans in place to repeal section 377(a) of the Penal Code. That hadbeen vigorously debated in Parliament, resulting in divided views. The general approach,

however, was that the provision would not be enforced unless a complaint was filed. Therewas no systemic discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people, sheemphasized. With regard to censorship, all movies, including those with such themes, weresubjected to the same review by a board of censors as all other movies.Addressing concerns raised about the welfare of foreign brides, she said such wiveswere able to apply to stay in the country on their own merits, regardless of actions taken by aspouse or ex-spouse. Legal provisions and enforcement agencies existed to regulatematchmaking agencies, she added.Paternity leave was not guaranteed by law, but was offered by nearly half ofemployers, she said. The practice was gaining traction. Singapore did indeed hope tosee more women on the boards of publicly traded companies; efforts were under waythrough the Board Agenda Project to ask companies to consciously place women ontheir boards. A gender-neutral master plan on disabilities was in place in Singapore,though it was currently under review in an effort to make it more comprehensive.

Experts’ Questions and CommentsOLINDA BAREIRO-BOBADILLA, expert from Paraguay, welcomed progress inparliamentary representation of women, but asked if parliamentarians were involved indecisions on the national budget. She suggested that they could then better finance theministries related to women’s interests. She also asked about the nature of the interministerialcommittee on the Convention’s implementation. She expressed concern over thelack of mechanisms to promote proportionality in the legislature. She also asked about therole of the Islamic Council in the inter-ministerial committee, and about women’s movementsin the country.MARIA HELENA LOPES DE JESUS PIRES, expert member from Timor-Leste, saidthere seemed to be discrepancies in the number of women Members of Parliament. Shewondered if there were structural or societal difficulties for women who wanted to enterpublic life and if there were special organizations to help them. She also asked about theparticipation of minority women in various programmes. Finally, she asked if there was anelectoral commission and, if so, whether women were included in it.ZOU XIAOQIAO, expert member from China, welcomed the lifting on reservations ongranting of nationality for children of foreign-born parents and asked about the situation ofchildren born before that reservation had been withdrawn. She also asked for informationabout obtaining permanent-residency status by foreign-born wives.

Delegation’s ResponsesMs. YACOB said the discrepancy in the figures for Parliament resulted from the lossof one woman’s seat in Parliament in the last election, with the loss of a women minister aswell. There was a women’s wing in the ruling party structure, which pursued reforms topolicies affecting women; for example, removing the quota concerning medical students.She stressed that women in Parliament had more impact than their numbers would suggest.On disabilities services in schools, she said there was training for teachers to allowregular schools to admit children with disabilities, as well as well-resourced special schools.On the situation of divorced foreign wives, she said they could apply for special visas; otherimmigration laws were gender neutral and a minimum residential period was applied beforepermanent residency was granted. There were more than 1 million foreign workers in thecountry, which was a huge portion of the population.A delegate from the Foreign Ministry added that divorced spouses retained theirpermanent residency or citizenship gained while they were married, and foreign wivesreceived equal protection under the law. Information had been disseminated about suchissues. Approximately 9 out of 10 applications of foreign spouses for citizenship between2006 and 2010 had been granted.

Experts’ Questions and CommentsMs. ZOU, expert from China, said significant progress had been made in Singaporewith regard to the education of women. Were its training centres open to women seeking toenter or re-enter the workforce, and women with very limited skills or experience? Werethey open to foreign workers? If not, what programmes were open to foreign workers?Additionally, the report noted that the compulsory education act excluded children withdisabilities, she said, asking the delegation to clarify its position.NIKLAS BRUUN, expert member from Finland, recalled that, despite theCommittee’s recommendation that Singapore withdraw its reservation to article 11, it had notdone so. An in-depth study of the content of that article had not been conducted bySingapore, it seemed, as the country already adhered to most of its obligations. Why didSingapore then continue to maintain its reservation to paragraph 1(d), regarding women inthe labour market? He hoped the delegation could assure the Committee that it would atleast reassess its withdrawal.Additionally, did Singapore conduct objective job evaluations? Were remediesavailable to those who suffered from the non-compliance of an employer with regard to theprinciple of equal work for equal pay? Laws could be used to prosecute sexual harassmentin the workplace, but he said that even more effective legislation was needed. WasSingapore paying special attention to the problems that vulnerable categories of womenmight face in the workplace?On the issue of foreign domestic workers, Ms. HAYASHI, expert from Japan, drewattention to the point in the report that such workers were given the choice of additionalcompensation, instead of rest days. Why did only foreign workers lack compulsory restdays? On the resolution of employment disputes in which employers were at fault, sheasked for figures on the number of foreign domestic workers who had actually submittedcomplaints under the conciliation provision. How many had received compensation? Hadthey been able to find another employer, following the settlement?Finally, she noted that migrant foreign domestic workers in Singapore were subjectedto mandatory tests for HIV and pregnancy. Were either of those findings grounds fordeportation, and if so, did that not violate their rights?PRAMILA PATTEN, expert member from Mauritius, also asked about sexualharassment in the workplace. Could the delegation clarify under what law employees couldseek redress from management? To what extent did the Penal Code contain an adequatedefinition of sexual harassment? Had it developed a national sexual harassment preventionstrategy?It was commendable that mothers were given 16 weeks maternity leave, she said.However, the policy suffered from problems of implementation; furthermore, it seemed to belimited to citizens and to married women. One example of an implementation gap was thecase of Singapore Airlines, which required pregnant flight attendants to resign. Were thecurrent penalties for sexual discrimination in the workplace sufficiently strict? Had a studybeen conducted to measure the impact of work-life balance initiatives? Many companieswere still not embracing such programmes, she said. What new measures were envisagedto encourage the participation of women in the workforce?On article 11 of the Convention, which addressed health, MAGALYS AROCHADOMINGUEZ, expert member from Cuba, expressed concern about the situation of certain“invisible” women in Singapore. Employers had been responsible for guaranteeing health

services since 2006, she recalled. Had a follow-up assessment been taken on the effects ofthat change on the health of women migrant workers?How did Singapore ensure that workers were not laid off in an effort by employers notto make health payments, or that women were not prevented from leaving work to havemedical checkups? she asked. She also echoed concern about mandatory HIV andpregnancy tests for migrant women workers. What measures were adopted for compliancewith, and follow-up to, anti-discrimination rules in the workplace? Finally, she asked about areference made in the report to an increase in medical coverage for older women and thosewith severe disabilities. Why was that increase restricted to those with “severe” disabilitiesonly?Ms. PIMENTEL, Chairperson and expert from Brazil, asked whether womenundergoing childbirth and other necessary health procedures, who were not covered byhealth insurance, had access to free prenatal, antenatal and related care in hospitals?Was pre- and post-test counselling, or provisions for treatment, available for those foundto be living with HIV/AIDS? Would Singapore consider the recognition of same-sexpartnerships in order to make health-care benefits more equitable?Moving to article 16, Ms. HALPERIN-KADDARI, expert from Israel, asked if the name“Women’s Charter” might be changed to a more general “Family Code”. In areas of sharia,such as the need for wali permission to marry, polygamy and unequal inheritance rights, shewondered if more harmonization with domestic laws could be sought. Why not adopt theposition that there was a presumption that a man was never able to provide for secondwife? That would leave the law in place, but end polygamy in practice.Regarding civil family law, especially divorce, Singapore offered a very liberalunderstanding of the consequences of divorce, she said. However, a stay-at-home mothermight receive less property in a divorce. Could the delegation provide more information onthat, as well as on the distribution of intangible property and future earning potential?Relating to maintenance, she wondered if there was a framework for the Government toprovide for women and children who were not able to collect debts from men who defaultedon their payments.Marital rape was only defined as a crime in cases when the couple no longer livedtogether, she noted, which was “extremely alarming”. Could the delegation provideinformation on any changes envisaged? Lastly, what were the rights of de facto unions, orthose couples not formally married?

Delegation’s ResponsesA delegate explained that the Government had carefully considered the withdrawal ofreservations, but found that the reservation concerning article 11 was necessary. It was notthe only country to have reached that conclusion, she said. Nonetheless, the interministerialcommittee would keep the matter under active review. “We are not saying we areclosing the door,” she said.A delegate from the Ministry of Manpower said that the 50 continuing education andtraining centres, the “pride of Singapore”, was in fact available to all people regardless ofgender or other factors. More than 270,000 workers were training in 2010 alone, he said,half of them women. Specific training programmes also existed for foreign domesticworkers. Employers who did not provide their foreign domestic workers with sufficient restwere liable to be punished, he added. The Government was considering a legal weeklyrequirement for rest; however, the issue was a complex one and required wide consultation.Regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, Singapore had in place a tripartiteapproach. When the harassment was of a criminal nature, offenders could be prosecutedand faced high fines, caning or prison time. Rates of sexual harassment in the workplacehad been found by a recent survey to be on par with those of the European Union, headded.Another delegate said that medical insurance for migrant workers had been raisedfrom $5,000 to $15,000 annually. The exclusion of children with severe disabilities fromcompulsory schooling was for their own benefit, as many could not function in normalschools. Exclusion, therefore, protected their parents from being prosecuted for not sendingthem to school.Most of Singapore’s laws were gender neutral and did not consider the sexualorientation of a person in their application, he said. Therefore, all rights, services andmechanisms available were accessible by both hetero- and homosexual people alike.Another delegate said that pre- and post-HIV test counselling was available, anddescribed an individual health savings account that she said was available to almost allSingaporeans, as well as complementary funds and services. Pregnant women alsoenjoyed the same benefits, she said. Lastly, as there was no rural population in Singapore,no comparative statistics were available. She referred the Committee to a website for otherhealth-related data.Yet another member of the delegation said that two measures provided protection forpregnant employees: the employees act, and the child core savings and development act,which was designed to encourage women to have children. The name of the Women’sCharter had been debated, she said, and might be changed in the future if some structuraladjustments were first made. Singapore was making progress through its incentives tocompanies for instituting flexible work patterns. Additionally, Singapore Airlines was makingchanges to its policy on pregnant women. Overall, complaints on pregnancy-relateddiscrimination had decreased in recent years, she said.On reservations to article 16, some progress had been made, but it was important forSingapore to move at a pace acceptable to its community at large, she said. The focus inthe future would be on how to improve the status of women under Muslim law. The countrywould constantly revisit and review the issue. Finally, she said that marital rape had beenaddressed as far as it could be at this time, but it would be revisited in the future.

* *** *For information media • not an official recordSource: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/wom1875.doc.htm