Singapore Council of Women’s Organisation

Written by Elizabeth Chee, Tan Wei Lin and Wu Shuqing

From May to July 2020, we interned with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisation (SCWO) as we wanted to understand more about gender inequality and the work of local NGOs.

Our work focused on reviewing the literature and legislative framework on violence against women. We had to learn to communicate our findings to the public and while this sounded like a seemingly easy task, we quickly realised that there were many considerations that we had to think through as the reader of the content could be a victim or a friend wanting to support others. We had to exercise empathy and only by putting ourselves in the shoes of those reading the content, were we able to propose how the findings can be presented appropriately. Beyond that, we learnt a lot about the considerations undertaken in advocacy work and the role of SCWO as a coordinating body for other women’s organisations in Singapore.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our internship was fully work-from-home. While it was a pity that we were not able to experience life in the office or help out with SCWO’s other initiatives, we still had a meaningful and enriching experience!

“Along the way, we realised that as interns, our work went beyond educating others about violence and supporting victims of violence. We had to first educate ourselves and understand the complex issues underlying the act of violence.”