CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW)

CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW)

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(Singapore's Third Report): **

23.

Prof. Thio Li-ann asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) if he will provide an update on the presentation of Singapore's Third Report before the Committee overseeing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) at its 39th session; (b) whether Singapore's performance of its treaty obligations has improved; and (c) whether any action will be taken on the recommendations the CEDAW Committee has made or reiterated.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Singapore presented its Third Periodic Report at the 39th Session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on 1st August 2007. I am happy to report that the UN Committee has commended Singapore on the significant progress made by our women, especially in the areas of health and care for the elderly.

The Committee welcomed the withdrawal of Singapore's reservation to Article 9, which requires State Parties to grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. When Singapore first appeared before the Committee in 2001, a child born overseas could only acquire citizenship by descent if the father was Singaporean. With amendments to Article 122 of the Constitution, a child born overseas can now be a citizen by descent as long as the child's mother or father is a Singaporean.

Other significant milestones included the removal of the one-third quota on the intake of female medical students to the National University of Singapore's medical faculty in 2003 and the equalisation of medical benefits for civil servants in 2005. The gender wage gap has also been narrowing. Women earn 86 percent of what their male counterparts earned, up from 83 percent a decade ago. Our younger and better-educated women are earning wages comparable to their male counterparts. The Gender Empowerment Measure ranked us 18th out of 175 countries, which goes to show that our women have economic and political opportunities comparable with that of our men.

The Committee was also pleased that an Inter-Ministry Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) had been set up to monitor Singapore's implementation of the Convention. The Committee cited it as an example which other countries could follow.

While the Committee welcomed the significant progress made by women in Singapore, it made comments on a few issues. These include the lack of explicit laws against gender discrimination, the application of Syariah law in matters relating to family and inheritance for the Muslim community, the level of women's participation in politics, the trafficking of women, the protection of foreign domestic workers and foreign wives. The Committee also urged Singapore to withdraw our four remaining reservations to the Convention, namely Articles 2, 16, 11 and 29, and to consider acceding to the Optional Protocol.

MCYS has taken note of these comments. Our Inter-Ministry Committee on CEDAW will continue to review our reservations and the specific issues raised by the UN CEDAW Committee.

Singapore's dialogue with the UN Committee was a valuable learning experience. Women in Singapore have come a long way but there is room for improvement and more can be done to raise the status of women.

We will continue to work with the Women's NGOs, such as the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations, the National Trades Union Congress Women's Committee and the People's Association Women Integration Network (WIN) Council to raise awareness of CEDAW and gather feedback on the aspirations of women in Singapore. These apex organisations represent more than 90% of women's groups and are our valuable partners in the promotion of the status and wellbeing of women.

Sir, I would like to conclude by reiterating that the empowerment of women requires more than just legislation. It involves changing social norms and mindsets. MCYS is committed to bringing about the necessary changes to ensure the progress of women in Singapore, so as to fulfil our obligations under the CEDAW.