Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)

We outline 6 principles and accompanying policy recommendations to strive for a more equal, fair and just world:

1) Eradicate discrimination

 	
Enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that prohibits discrimination in housing, employment, education and all other aspects of life.

2) Ensure decent work for all

 	
Enact legislation that gives every employee the right to employment free of harassment, including sexual harassment and bullying
 	
Introduce substantive labor protections for all casual workers not covered by the Employment Act
 	
Enact legislation to give all employees the right to request flexible work arrangements that can only be denied by employers for business-related reasons
 	
Amend the Tripartite Guidelines on Wrongful Dismissals to more clearly define poor performance, misconduct, and retrenchment
 	
Ensure the right for employees to return to the same job after maternity or unpaid caregiving leave
 	
Extend the Progressive Wage Model to all sectors with low-wage workers

3) End violence against women

 	
Provide comprehensive gender and sexuality education at all educational levels. Include sections on consent, respect, healthy relationships, boundaries and sexual orientation.
 	
Introduce a national code on sexual harassment that sets out duties of institutes of higher learning, provides victim-care support, and sets out standards and principles for investigation and management
 	
Set-up an e-safety commission to expedite take-down orders for technology facilitated sexual assault
 	
Introduce a statutory, positive definition of “consent” for sexual activities

4) Financially compensate and equally distribute unpaid domestic and caregiving work within families

 	
Introduce a Caregivers’ Support Grant that subsidizes out-of-pocket caregiving expenses and helps build retirement adequacy of caregivers
 	
Introduce paid family care leave for caregivers providing care to older relatives, similar to paid childcare leave
 	
Make CareShield Life premiums gender-neutral

5) Treat all parents equally regardless of marital status and citizenship status

 	
Allow unwed mothers to form a family nucleus with their child when applying for HDB housing, instead of approving grant applications on a case-by-case basis
 	
Lower the age of eligibility for public rental housing to 18 years, from 21
 	
Lengthen tenancy periods of rental housing and Interim Rental Housing for as long as necessary for single parents and their children to find stable housing without the threat of eviction
 	
Empower HDB to enforce court orders to sell or transfer matrimonial flats upon divorce
 	
Grant Long Term Visit Pass-Plus to all foreign spouses of citizens. Create a clear, timed process for these foreign spouses to obtain permanent resident status

6) Better support low-income households to meet basic needs

 	
Allow all lower-income households to access government-subsidized childcare for free
 	
Enhance support to ComCare recipients who find employment, by (i) extending ComCare payment for 12 months upon employment, (ii) introducing a “retention bonus” for job stability, and (iii) introducing a savings-match scheme to help build cash savings and incentivize saving
 	
Enhance Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) for low-income persons by: (i) reducing the WIS age requirement, and (ii) reducing the barriers for SEPs to be eligible for WIS
 	
Incentivize employers of shift workers to adopt flexi-shift or stable and core scheduling to accommodate caregiving schedules.