SINGAPORE-SOGI-TBs-CEDAW

Concluding Observations on Report 6 (2024) (Link)

General context

9. The Committee notes with appreciation the State party’s commitment to mainstreaming gender equality and women’s rights in its legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks, and the fact that it ranked ninth out of 193 countries in the human development index in 2022. It is, however, concerned about the persistence of discriminatory stereotypes against women and girls, reports of harassment and reprisals against women human rights defenders and women’s rights activists, the maintenance of the death penalty, and the reluctance of the State party to withdraw its reservations to the Convention, ratify the Optional Protocol thereto and establish an independent national human rights institution. The Committee notes with concern the limited progress made in addressing the situation of disadvantaged and marginalized groups of women and girls who are facing historical and intersecting forms of discrimination, namely, Muslim women, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, older women, women in detention, women migrant domestic workers, women human rights defenders and journalists.

 10. The Committee urges the State party to uphold its commitment to women’s human rights, including the right to life, the right of access to justice and the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. It calls upon the State party to strengthen the application of the Convention in legal proceedings in the State party for the benefit of all women, particularly Muslim women, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, women in detention, women migrant domestic workers, women human rights defenders and journalists.

 

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Constitutional and legislative framework

15. The Committee notes with concern:

(a) The absence in the State party’s legislation of a definition of discrimination against women covering both direct and indirect discrimination in the public and private spheres, as well as intersecting forms of discrimination, in accordance with articles 1 and 2 of the Convention;

(b) The lack of effective application of the principle of intersectionality to address intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women belonging to disadvantaged groups, in particular Muslim women, women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, older women, women in detention, women migrant domestic workers and women human rights defenders.

16. The Committee reiterates its previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/SGP/CO/3, para. 14, CEDAW/C/SGP/CO/4/Rev.1, para. 12, and CEDAW/C/SGP/CO/5, para. 11) and recommends that the State party:

(a) Incorporate into its Constitution or other appropriate legislation a definition of discrimination against women covering direct and indirect discrimination in the public and private spheres, as well as intersecting forms of discrimination, in accordance with articles 1 and 2 of the Convention, the Committee’s general recommendation No. 28 (2010) on the core obligations of States parties under article 2 of the Convention, and target 5.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals on ending all forms of discrimination against all women and girls;

(b) Apply the principle of intersectionality in order to ensure equality and access to public services for women facing intersecting forms of discrimination.

 

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Gender-based violence against women

33. The Committee notes with concern:

(a) The absence of legislation specifically criminalizing domestic violence, its social legitimization, women’s underreporting of domestic violence owing to their fear of stigmatization and the low prosecution and conviction rates for cases of domestic violence;…

34. Recalling its general recommendation No. 35 (2017) on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19, the Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Adopt legislation to ensure that all forms of gender-based violence against women, including domestic violence and online violence, are specifically criminalized, and take into account the special protection needs of disadvantaged and marginalized groups of women, including women with disabilities, migrant women, older women, and lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women;…

 

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Employment

43. The Committee notes the decrease in the gender pay gap from 6.7 per cent in 2018 to 6.0 per cent in 2023, and the increase of paternity leave from two to four weeks, on a voluntary basis, in 2024. It also notes the establishment of the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness in 2021. However, it notes with concern:

(a) That workplace fairness legislation has not yet been submitted to Parliament;…

44. The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Adopt workplace fairness legislation and ensure that it covers indirect discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace, and discrimination based on disability and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women and Muslim women;…

 

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Lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women

51. The Committee is concerned about the prevalence of discrimination in law and in practice against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women, in particular:

(a) The absence of legal protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity;

(b) Deeply embedded homophobic and transphobic attitudes; discriminatory stereotypes, including in the media; the persistence of discrimination in education, employment, family relations, housing and access to health services, in particular sexual and reproductive health and rights; and higher levels of exposure of such persons to gender-based violence in the domestic sphere and in public spaces.

52. The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Adopt legislative and policy measures to explicitly incorporate provisions on legal protection from discrimination against lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women;

(b) Protect the human rights of lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex women in all areas covered by the Convention; conduct awareness-raising activities to address their stigmatization in society; and ensure that they enjoy equal rights to education, employment, housing and health care, in particular sexual and reproductive health services, and in family relations, as well as protection from violence and abuse.

 

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Marriage and family relations

59. The Committee notes the State party’s efforts to increase the representation of women in key positions in the country’s religious institutions, including the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, and to strengthen the protection of foreign spouses of Singaporean men. However, it notes with concern:

…(e) The limitations on the parental rights of non-married women and same-sex couples, as only married, opposite-sex couples can benefit from medically assisted procreation.

60. Recalling its general recommendation No. 21 (1994) on equality in marriage and family relations and its general recommendation No. 29 (2013) on the economic consequences of marriage, family relations and their dissolution, the Committee recommends that the State party:

…(e) Recognize the equal right of all women, including those in same-sex relationships and non-married women, to parenthood through assisted reproductive technology, and ensure that all children enjoy equal rights to citizenship regardless of their family circumstances.

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Concluding Observations on Report 5 (2017) (Link)

Lesbians, bisexual and transgender women and intersex persons

40. The Committee expresses its concern that lesbians, bisexual and transgender women and intersex persons face discrimination in various areas of life and that their situation is often exacerbated by the policies of the State party, including its media policy.

41. The Committee recommends that the State party ensure that lesbians, bisexual and transgender women and intersex persons are effectively protected against all forms of discrimination in law and in practice, including by undertaking educational and awareness-raising campaigns to combat discriminatory stereotypes, including in its media policies.

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Concluding Observations on Report 4 (2011) (Link)

Stereotypes and harmful practices

21. The Committee reiterates its concern about the persistence of patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men within the family and society at large. In this regard, the Committee is particularly concerned that, despite the legal equality accorded to spouses, discriminatory traditional cultural attitudes that continue to utilize “the head of the household” concept, assigning this role to men, persist in the State party. Additionally, the Committee is concerned by the pervasiveness of advertising for products and services to improve body image and conform to societal expectations, as well as at the lack of clear guidelines to non-medical practitioners, such as aesthetic clinics, beauty clinics and spas. It notes that such cultural overemphasis of women’s beauty and the lack of effective regulations on its commercial exploitation, including by the media, reinforces the image of women as sex objects and constitutes serious obstacles to women’s enjoyment of their human rights and the fulfilment of the rights enshrined in the Convention. The Committee further notes that despite the fact that the State party recognizes the principle of equality of all persons before the law, as enshrined in the Constitution, regardless of gender, sexual orientation and gender identity (CEDAW/C/SGP/Q/4/Add.1, para. 113), there is still negative stereotyping of women belonging to this group.

22. The Committee calls upon the State party:

(a) To put in place, without delay, a comprehensive strategy to modify or eliminate patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes that discriminate against women, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in conformity with the provisions of the Convention. Such measures should include efforts, in collaboration with civil society, to educate and raise awareness of this subject, targeting women and men at all levels of society;

(b) To engage in pervasive, sustained and proactive efforts to combat and eliminate discriminatory cultural concepts, including “the head of the household”, that have a negative impact on the achievement of equality between women and men;

(c) To impose stricter regulations with regard to safety and extend the existing guidelines for medical practitioners to non-medical practitioners such as aesthetic clinics, beauty salons and spas, and regularly monitor their activities;

(d) To use innovative measures that target media to strengthen understanding of the equality of women and men and, through the educational system, enhance a positive and non-stereotypical portrayal of women;

(e) To monitor and review the measures taken in order to assess their impact and to take appropriate action.

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Concluding Observations on Report 3 (2007) (Link)

[no mention]

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Concluding Observations on Report 1-2 (2001) (Link)

[no mention]

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