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For reasons I’m not going to go into here, I’ve recently been dissecting the Singapore Women’s Charter. I find it diffcult to believe that such a document is still held to as a standard of law, given the backward nature of some of its declarations. Though that isn’t to be entirely unexpected of a document that essentially begins with the following line:

“brothel” means any place occupied or used by any 2 or more women or girls whether at the same time or at different times for the purpose of prostitution;

Great way to start off a charter for women’s rights, by immediately ensuring that everyone knows what you’re referring to when you mention the word ‘brothel’. In any event, that sets the bar fairly low for what follows. If we jump all the way to section XI, dealing with “Offenses Against Women and Girls” some of the figures start to get even worse. This document clearly hasn’t been revised in quite some time.

Causing or encouraging prostitution of, sexual penetration with, or indecent assault on, girl below the age of 16
145. —(1) Any person who causes or encourages the prostitution of, or the commission of unlawful sexual penetration with, or of an indecent assault on, a girl below the age of 16 years for whom he is responsible shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both.

We’re saying that someone encouraging minors (High School) girls into prostitution is subject to a fine of only $2,000SGD. That seems like an amount that could be made up in one night by one of these people. I just don’t understand how they wouldn’t have raised the fines on these things to correspond more with today’s standards. Even for a low paying job, $2,000SGD is about a month’s salary.

Seriously, for a first world nation, Singapore really needs to consider its women’s rights and freedoms, including those provisions for marriage, separation, and divorce.