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Statement of Solidarity with Transgender Students in Singapore

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4 years ago

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Statement by LGBT groups and civil society organisations in Singapore

1. We, the undersigned organisations, express our solidarity with Ashlee, the transgender student at Millennia Institute whose right to privacy, health, safety and access to education were violated by her school. We are deeply concerned about the lack of institutional regulations or policies that acknowledge and protect the rights of transgender students in Singapore. The facts referred to in this statement were provided to us directly by Ashlee to the best of her recollection and knowledge. For reference, we provide a complete timeline of events from Ashlee’s perspective at the end of this statement.

2. Transgender youths often face violence and discrimination at home and in schools because of their gender identities or expressions. In a joint submission to the United Nations (UN) for Singapore’s third Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Sayoni and TransgenderSG documented many such incidents, including where educational institutions sought to prevent transgender students from transitioning or pursuing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) while at school. TransgenderSG’s 2020 nationwide survey found that over three-quarters of students who were out as transgender in school reported negative experiences ranging from bullying to sexual assault. A third of trans students stated that they did not feel safe at school, and almost half felt they had no one at school they could turn to for help.

3. Despite having parental consent to medically transition, Ashlee was informed by her doctor in August 2020 that MOE needs him to consult and work with schools before referring any student for HRT. On 23 October 2020, Ashlee’s school leaders and administrators met with her and her father to inform them that should Ashlee choose to receive hormone replacement therapy, it would have to be at a reduced dosage. They told Ashlee that she would be expelled if physical changes from the hormones made her no longer able to fit into the boys’ uniform.

4. On 5 Nov 2020, Ashlee was pulled out of class and reprimanded for her hair length. After returning home, the school called her father to inform him that Ashlee was not to return to school until she cut her hair. The school declined her request for home-based learning. Ashlee did not return to school for the rest of the school year from 6 Nov 2020 to 27 Nov 2020. On 11 Jan 2021, the first day of Year 2, Ashlee turned up at school only to be called up by the school administration within an hour and thrown out of the school compound because her hair length did not comply with the boy’s dress code.

5. On 15 January 2021, Ashlee posted on Reddit about her experiences. MOE responded by issuing a statement denying their alleged interference in her hormone replacement therapy or that of any student. On 18 January 2021, the school met with Ashlee and informed her that they would not allow her to attend classroom lessons unless she complies with the hair and uniform requirements for male students, once again denying her right to education on the basis of her gender expression. An allowance was made for her to wear track pants and a polo shirt instead of the boy’s uniform, on the condition she agreed to cut her hair.

6. We affirm that medical advice, in particular medical advice on hormone dosage levels, should be left to healthcare professionals. Schools should not interfere with a student’s healthcare decisions and necessary medical treatments. In addition, schools should not punish – let alone threaten to expel – students for failing to adhere to gender stereotypes and binary gender roles, or invade their privacy by sharing their transgender identity without their consent.

7. Existing research extensively documents a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among transgender individuals. HRT is a life-saving treatment that has been proven to significantly reduce this prevalence and improve the mental health and quality of life of many transgender persons with gender dysphoria. In Singapore, a 2016 study found that nearly half of transgender women have had suicidal thoughts. Millennia Institute’s ultimatum for Ashlee to choose between receiving an education or receiving medically necessary treatment violates her basic human rights to self-determination, privacy, personal autonomy and bodily integrity, as well as her right to education and the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

8. In 2019, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which Singapore has ratified since 1995, expressed concerns over the persisting discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) children in Singapore and recommended the State to adopt comprehensive strategies, including providing sensitivity training for teachers. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has since expressed their commitment to meeting the mental health needs of students, and implementing measures to combat bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression at educational institutions.7 It is thus profoundly troubling and disappointing that MOE’s official statement on Ashlee’s allegations refused to acknowledge her gender identity and chose to misgender her by using male pronouns.

9. In response to the Ministry Of Education’s denial of any involvement in withholding Ashlee’s hormone replacement therapy, and their stated commitment to keeping students safe, we call upon the Ministry of Education and Institute of Mental Health to act on this commitment by working with LGBTIQ organisations to clarify and implement a uniform standard of care for transgender students and other LGBTIQ youths across all schools, in order to ensure safe and nurturing environments for all students regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics.

10. We invite all transgender and other LGBTIQ students who have faced violence or discrimination in schools to share your stories with us by emailing [email protected].


Signed by:

  • ACAVE
  • Aces Going Places
  • Bissu
  • Dear Straight People
  • Embrace Singapore
  • Equality in Education
  • Free Community Church
  • gayhealth.sg
  • Gender Collective
  • GLBT Voices Singapore
  • Heckin’ Unicorn
  • IndignationSG
  • Inter-Uni LGBT Network
  • Jejaka
  • Kaleidoscope
  • Mates Gone Running
  • Minority Voices
  • My Queer Story SG
  • Nonbinary Singapore
  • Out in SG
  • Penawar
  • Pink Dot SG
  • Prout
  • Q Space
  • QUASA SG
  • Queer Friendly Chers
  • QueerNUS
  • Queer Singapore
  • Rainbow Parents SG
  • Ready4Repeal
  • Sayoni
  • SGRainbow
  • Singapore LGBT Law
  • SKRRT CENTRAL
  • tFreedom
  • The Bear Project
  • The Healing Circle SG
  • The Purple Alliance
  • TransBefrienders
  • TransgenderSG
  • TransNUS
  • True Singapore Love
  • Young Out Here
  • ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (non-Singapore based)
  • Asia Pacific Transgender Network (non-Singapore based)
  • MARUAH
  • soft/WALL/studs
  • Post-Museum
  • Xpointo Media
  • Replica SoftwareYou can also download the statement at https://bit.ly/3qycAqP

 

 

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Civil Society

Thailand withdraws reservation on refugee children’s rights, welcomed by UN Human Rights Office

Thailand’s withdrawal of its reservation on Article 22 of the CRC is hailed by the UN, marking a key step in enhancing protections for refugee and asylum-seeking children.

Published

2 days ago

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6 September 2024

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The UN Human Rights Office for South-East Asia (OHCHR) has praised Thailand for its decision to withdraw its reservation on Article 22 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a move expected to improve the protection of refugee and asylum-seeking children in the country.

Cynthia Veliko, the OHCHR Representative for South-East Asia, hailed the decision, calling it “a significant, positive step” toward aligning Thailand’s laws with international standards. “This move helps protect the rights of all children on the move, no matter their nationality or origin,” Veliko said.

The Thai Cabinet’s decision to withdraw the reservation took effect on 30 August 2024. Article 22 of the CRC ensures that refugee and asylum-seeking children receive protection, humanitarian assistance, and equal access to services provided to national children, in line with international human rights laws to which Thailand is a party.

This withdrawal is also expected to strengthen the implementation of Thailand’s National Screening Mechanism (NSM), introduced on 22 September 2023.

The NSM grants the status of “protected person” to individuals who cannot return to their home countries due to the fear of persecution. However, despite these legal advancements, children without legal status in Thailand remain at risk of being detained in immigration facilities.

The UN has raised concerns over the continued detention of children despite the Thai government’s 2019 Memorandum of Understanding on Alternatives to the Detention of Children (MOU-ATD). The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has reaffirmed that every child has a fundamental right to liberty and should not be detained based on their migration status.

Veliko urged Thailand to focus on ending child immigration detention and adopting human rights-based alternatives.

“Children on the move are children first and foremost,” Veliko stressed, adding that detention due to migration status is never in the best interests of children.

The UN Human Rights Office expressed its readiness to assist the Thai government in developing alternatives to detention, ensuring that all children receive the protection and care they need.

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Civil Society

FORUM-ASIA condemns Myanmar junta’s forced conscription expansion, urges international action

FORUM-ASIA condemns Myanmar’s military junta for expanding forced conscription, calling it a desperate bid to maintain power. The policy, affecting men aged 35 to 60, adds to a long list of human rights violations, including forced labor and the use of civilians as human shields.

Published

4 days ago

on

4 September 2024

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The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has condemned the Myanmar military junta’s recent decision to expand the age limit of its forced conscription policy, calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar.

The move is seen as a desperate attempt by the junta to maintain control in the face of a growing pro-democracy resistance movement.

On 25 August 2024, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced the introduction of a new “security system with public participation.”

This system would require men aged 35 to 60 to serve as guards, potentially placing them on the frontlines of conflict. The announcement follows the formation of the Central Supervisory Committee for People’s Security and Anti-Terrorism on 16 August, tasked with organizing military training and overseeing “people’s security and anti-terrorism” groups at various administrative levels.

The junta’s plan builds upon the forced conscription policy it implemented on 10 February 2024, invoking the 2010 People’s Military Service Law.

The law mandates men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve two years in the military, with professionals like doctors and engineers potentially serving up to five years. Those who evade service or assist others in doing so face up to five years in prison. As part of this policy, the junta planned to conscript 5,000 individuals monthly from April 2024.

Civilians as Human Shields and Forced Labor

FORUM-ASIA has condemned the junta’s forced conscription policies, highlighting the military’s history of using civilians as human shields and forcing them into hard labor.

The International Labour Organization’s Commission of Inquiry found in October 2023 that the military continues to impose forced labor amidst the ongoing armed conflict, a practice that has escalated since the 2021 coup attempt.

Local news and human rights groups have reported that the junta is also abducting and arresting citizens to use as human shields, further contributing to the human rights violations in Myanmar. Many youths, rather than being conscripted into fighting for a regime they oppose, have fled their homes to join the resistance.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over the junta’s detention and recruitment of Myanmar youth. Meanwhile, Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, noted the junta’s increasing use of powerful weapons against civilians as troop losses and recruitment challenges mount.

Call for Action

FORUM-ASIA is calling on the Myanmar military junta to immediately halt its forced conscription, abductions, forced labor, and the use of civilians as human shields.

“FORUM-ASIA urges the international community, including the UN and ASEAN, to thoroughly investigate the Myanmar military junta’s long list of human rights violations. The junta should be held accountable for all its crimes through sanctions and other punitive measures,” said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.

“The international community must urgently isolate the junta and support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for justice and freedom,” Bacalso added.

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