A Public Education Initiative to
Raise Awareness About
Relationship-based Violence
Ngee Ann Polytechnic Convention Centre
09 November 2009
0930-1300hrs
Guest of Honour/Keynote Speaker:
Dr Kanwaljit Soin, Civil Rights Advocate, Nominated Member of Parliament (1992-1996)
The Conference Programme details can be found here.
Why “A Woman’s Worth”?
The conference title “A Woman’s Worth” is the work of Edwin Chiou. It is a deliberate critique of the gender imbalances within a patriarchal society and addresses the following issues: Is sending off a daughter to be married as a foreign bride akin to selling a woman? Does paying a virginity package for a foreign bride equate to the buying of a woman? How much is a woman worth? Is there gender inequality in seemingly equal and meritocratic Singapore? If there is, is the violence that is sometimes effected on women a reflection of how lowly women are valued in a male-oriented society? After all, while there are abused men, the victims of relationship violence are overwhelmingly female.
The choice of title reflects the growing maturity of the group of 11 students who embarked on a learning journey to Vietnam in March 2009 to find out more about foreign brides in Singapore. In the course of this study trip, they saw for themselves the difficulties faced by the rural poor in Vietnam and learnt that it was not just poverty but also the spectre of domestic violence among the poorest segments of Vietnamese society that compelled their women to leave their homes to become foreign brides in a strange land.
As they further explored this issue of domestic violence upon their return to Singapore, they discovered that this is also an issue that exists in our own society. The students felt that they could and should do more to raise awareness of relationship-based violence among their peers. The “S.T.O,P!” Campaign and “A Woman’s Worth” Conference was the result.
The Story behind the Conference Logo:
The portrait of the woman in the conference logo is an iconic representation of the foreign brides here in Singapore. Vietnamese women have been the fastest growing group of foreign brides in Singapore over the last decade, with over 2000 arriving on our shores yearly. These foreign brides are quickly becoming the group that is most vulnerable to spousal abuse.
The woman’s posture is a metaphor for the silent suffering of an abused spouse. Her back is to us, emblematic of the secret that she is hiding. Yet her pensive face is half-turned towards us in a silent, poignant plea for help. Cultural and social conventions make it difficult for her to give words to that plea and to tell anyone of her private pain. Only her mute desperation speaks for her. One of her hands clutches her shoulder, symbolising her loneliness and that she has only herself to turn to for help.
The artwork behind the conference and campaign logos has been generously donated by
Mr Damien Fong of ICEWORKS.
Conference Organisers
Priscilla Su
Amala Kannan
Benjamin Liew
Chua Zong Ling
Edwin Chiou
Jonathan Chua
Katherine Lesmana
Nguyen Quang Linh
Sarali Laili
Serene Yap
Yap Li Yu
Adopted Charity
Centre for Promoting Alternaives to Violence
VWOs Participating in the Conference
Women’s Initiative for Ageing Successfully
Association of Women for Action and Research
The Question & Answer segment of the conference will be hosted by Daniel Martin of 938LIVE as part of his Campus programme.
