Women’s rights group AWARE said on Sunday (Nov 17) that the crime prevention posters on outrage of modesty do not say that the act is wrong, but only that it is “expensive”.
This comes after police issued a statement on Saturday saying that AWARE had misunderstood the purpose of their campaign.
AWARE had earlier brought attention to the posters saying that there was a desperate need for a shift in the way sexual violence is talked about and framed. In a post on Facebook, AWARE said that it was namely concerned about the visual motif of the price tag on the molester’s hand, as well as the tagline, which reads: “2 years' imprisonment. It is not worth it.”
related: AWARE misunderstood purpose of outrage of modesty crime prevention posters
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Police: Aware misunderstood anti-molestation posters
Police say posters meant to be strong deterrent; Aware questions 'price tag' approach
The Singapore Police Force have come out to defend crime prevention posters being criticised for the way molestation is being portrayed.
The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) had called out two posters on the MRT, both depicting a man about to molest a woman and a tag on his wrist with the words "2 years' imprisonment. It is not worth it".
On social media last Thursday, the gender equality advocacy group criticised the posters for putting a price on sexual violence and neglecting to mention the harm suffered by victims.
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AWARE Singapore 13 November at 19:19
Spotted on the MRT: these anti-molestation posters, which feature what looks like a price tag on the perpetrators' hands. The tag says "2 years' imprisonment: It is not worth it."
What about the price that she will have to pay in this scenario, which the poster makes no mention of?
Why are we putting a price on sexual violence at all, like it's a commodity to purchase and consume? Would one year's imprisonment be "worth it"? Or six months? What is inflicting harm and trauma upon another human being worth?
We desperately need a shift in the way we talk about and frame sexual violence. #AimForZeroSG
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Singapore Police Force 16 November at 07:40
SPF STATEMENT ON AWARE’S FACEBOOK POST CRITICISING SPF’S CRIME PREVENTION POSTER
We refer to comments made by AWARE on Police crime prevention posters, warning against outrage of modesty. These posters are displayed on the public transport network.
These posters are part of crime prevention visuals that the Police have produced in collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Council and Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts & Design School. Other crimes such as shop theft and dishonest misappropriation of property are also featured in these visuals.
These visuals target potential perpetrators, and specifically highlight the punishments for committing the criminal acts, in order to send a strong deterrent message.
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AWARE Singapore Yesterday at 01:59
AWARE’S STATEMENT ON THE "OUTRAGE OF MODESTY" POSTERS
AWARE posted a brief comment on social media on 14 November about two new “outrage of modesty” posters by the Singapore Police Force.
Our intentions were to contribute constructively to the ongoing public conversation about sexual violence in Singapore. Our earlier comments did not fully spell out our position on this, which is set out below.
Sexual violence is a pervasive problem in our society, and language (visual or verbal) plays a huge part in shaping how our culture views sexual violence, even in very subtle ways.
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WHY SPF ADS WON’T STOP SEXUAL ASSAULT IN SINGAPORE
There is a series of SPF advertisements reminding potential offenders of the penalties if they were caught molesting, littering and committing other crimes. The molest ad was criticised by Aware for not referring to the harm done to the victim, and defended thereafter by SPF which intended the ads to serve as a deterrent.
I spoke to a lady who has encountered several acts of sexual abuse and assault in her life, to understand why she has not exposed the perpetrators of the crimes, and the one incident she failed to do so after summoning the courage to report to the police.
This is her point of view, that is sorely missing in the conversation:
- How do I report a family friend?
- Groped at a foam party, was I asking for trouble?
- Being lured into a flat by a big brother
- Being raped by my boyfriend
- What’s the point of reporting a crime?
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Singapore’s anti-molestation ads create divide between advocates and police
In Singapore, posters bearing anti-molestation messages have attracted criticism from a women’s advocacy group for equating sexual violence to a “commodity to purchase and consume”.
The posters are displayed on Singapore’s public transport, and target perpetrators by highlighting the potential punishments. One poster depicts a “molester” with a price tag hanging down his wrist with the words “2 years’ imprisonment: It is not worth it”.
Last week, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), posted criticism on Facebook, asking: “What about the price that she [the victim] will have to pay in this scenario, which the poster makes no mention of?” However, the criticism was rebuffed by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), which designed the posters in partnership with students from Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts and Design School.
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Singapore Police Force and gender equality advocacy group Aware spar over anti-molestation poster
A poster from the Singapore Police Force’s ongoing campaign to draw attention to the adverse consequences of crime has found itself at the centre of a war of words playing out on Facebook between the police department and Aware Singapore, an advocacy group focused on gender equality.
The poster was created by the Singapore Police Force in collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Council and Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts & Design School.
Commenting on the poster in a Facebook post dated November 14, Aware Singapore said: “Why are we putting a price on sexual violence at all, like it’s a commodity to purchase and consume? Would one year’s imprisonment be ‘worth it’? Or six months? What is inflicting harm and trauma upon another human being worth?
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Police defend crime prevention posters after Aware takes issue with price tag design
A series of posters bearing anti-molestation messages has come into the crosshairs of a woman advocacy group for making sexual violence look like it is a “commodity to purchase and consume”.
But the criticism by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) was rebutted by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), which designed the posters in partnership with students from Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts and Design School.
“Aware does not seem to have understood the purpose of the posters,” the SPF said in a Facebook post on Saturday (Nov 16).
The posters, which are displayed in buses and trains, and places on the public transport network, target potential perpetrators and specifically highlight the punishments for committing the crimes to send a “strong deterrent message”, the SPF added.
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Aware Questions Anti-Molestation Posters, Police Say They Misunderstood
If you haven’t seen the latest crime prevention posters put out by the Singapore Police Force, here’s a brief background: the police has recently rolled out a series of posters as part of their crume prevention campaign. Each poster depicts a perpetrator about to commit a crime and hung around his wrist is a “price tag” that indicates the severity of the punishment if caught.
The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) had called out two posters on the MRT, both depicting a man about to molest a woman and a tag on his wrist with the words “2 years’ imprisonment. It is not worth it”.
On social media last Thursday, the gender equality advocacy group criticised the posters for putting a price on sexual violence and neglecting to mention the harm suffered by victims.
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S’pore police refutes AWARE’s criticism, says anti-molest posters send ‘strong deterrent message’
AWARE pointed out that these posters were “putting a price on sexual violence, like it’s a commodity to purchase and consume”.
On Nov. 16, the Singapore Police Force highlighted that the posters delivered a strong deterrent message to prevent molest and other types of crimes.
In the media statement, the police said that these posters displayed on various public transport platforms were produced in collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Council and Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts & Design School. Besides warning against the outrage of modesty, there are other similar visuals that target potential perpetrators of shop theft and dishonest misappropriation of property.
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Police defend anti-molestation posters after Aware criticism
The Singapore Police Force has defended a series of crime prevention posters that have been criticised for being insensitive to outrage of modesty victims.
The posters, which are displayed across the public transport network, depict the hand of a man seemingly about to molest a woman. On his wrist is a tag with the words: "2 years' imprisonment: It is not worth it".
The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) criticised them in a Facebook post last Thursday for focusing on only the punishment but not the harm suffered by the victim.
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Police and AWARE argue over outrage of modesty posters
In a social media post on November 15, AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) took issue with posters put up in public transport systems by the police, which are meant to curb molestation.
The posters show what seem to be price tags on the hands of would-be molesters who are about to touch some women inappropriately, with tags that read, “2 years’ imprisonment: It is not worth it.”
AWARE asked the question as to why a price on sexual violence was put in the first place:
- “What about the price that she will have to pay in this scenario, which the poster makes no mention of?
- Why are we putting a price on sexual violence at all, like it’s a commodity to purchase and consume? Would one year’s imprisonment be “worth it”? Or six months? What is inflicting harm and trauma upon another human being worth?
read more
SPF DEFENDS ANTI-MOLESTATION POSTERS AFTER AWARE CRITICIZES THEM FOR OVERLOOKING VICTIMS
If you have been to the MRT station, you might have seen a couple of those crime prevention posters warning would-be perpetrators about the potential consequences that they might face if they commit a crime. Here’s are some posters in case if you have no idea what I am talking about.
The series of posters was designed by students from Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts and Design school after they were given a brief to revamp the visuals of the police’s crime prevention campaign.
When I first saw the posters, I thought it was pretty creative. However, with regards to the last poster, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), a women’s rights group, has come forth to say otherwise.
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related:
Molestation: "2 years' imprisonment is not worth it"
Spate of NUS molestation cases
Spate of molestation and outrage of modesty
Spate of Indecent Behaviours
"Modesty" and "Outrage of Modesty"
Immodest Anti-Social Behaviours
The Upskirt Scourge
