The Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Sengkang GRC Raeesah Khan has raised some important concerns in relation to how survivors of sexual assault have been treated by the police.

In raising those concerns, Ms Khan relayed her experience of accompanying a survivor in her interview with the police whereby the police officer, in that case, made comments about the survivor’s attire and drinking.

The concerns that Ms Khan raised are important ones. They are also current given the worldwide awakening to how women are being treated when it comes to sexual assault.

It therefore comes as a surprise that senior politicians of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) have reacted so defensively to the concerns raised by Ms Khan. In the growing momentum of awareness for women’s rights, the PAP’s response seems outdated and out of turn.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Desmond Tan used certain words that I cannot help but find disturbing. While Mr Tan said that he was willing to provide the requisite data, he called the concerns raised by Ms Khan “allegations”.

The word “allegation” is combative and defensive. These concerns have been raised globally and affect women worldwide. It is therefore completely unnecessary for Mr Tan to view this matter as if it is an affront to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Many of our processes are outdated and need relooking. This is not a blame game. It is simply a reality for many countries in the world. Surely Mr Tan should see this as a dialogue to create positive change instead of some sort of fight.

Secondly, Mr Tan used the word “victim” – when juxtaposed with Ms Khan’s choice of the word “survivor”, the contrast is very jarring.

It is difficult for those who have been subject to sexual abuse to speak up. The fact that they have not only endured the abuse but have been courageous enough to speak up makes them survivors, not victims. Mr Tan’s seeming inability to see that might mean that he, like many others, require training to further understand.

I say this not as a criticism of Mr Tan, but more as an improvement point. No one can know or understand everything. It requires listening and learning, something that we should all be prepared to do – especially those in a position of responsibility.

After all, how can you serve if you do not truly understand the lived experience of those who have suffered? How can you have empathy if you are not open to listening?

Even more disappointing is the reminder dished up by Leader of the House Indranee Rajah.

Instead of recognising the importance and relevance of the concerns raised by Ms Khan, Ms Rajah chose to imply that Ms Khan was not mindful of her Parliamentary privilege when raising allegations against government agencies.

As mentioned above, the concerns raised by Ms Khan are not allegations — they are genuine concerns that many countries (including developed ones) are facing. Besides, why is Ms Rajah implying that government agencies are more above criticism? Given that they are in positions of power and are funded by the public, shouldn’t they be even more open to scrutiny?

Pointing out points of improvement for publicly funded government agencies is not a baseless allegation. It is called transparency and accountability.

Besides, Ms Khan has not made any accusations. She has merely shared her experience on how the police can do better. This is not to say that the police are in the wrong. It is just saying that as a force, it may wish to consider how its outlook and methods can be more relevant and up to date.

We are all guilty of unconscious bias. The police are not exempt from this so why shouldn’t they be reminded to be more mindful? Why shouldn’t they be told to undergo training to improve themselves? This isn’t an allegation to be defensive over. This is called self-improvement – something we should all be doing! Much less the police!

According to the Abuser Alert Report compiled in 2016 by The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 24% of the abusers reported in Project X were law enforcement officers — this highlights the fact that police officers are people that err too.  Like us, they are not above improvement points or reproach.

If Government keeps displaying this defensive stance, they are essentially saying that they never make mistakes nor do they ever need to improve. This is simply not true of anyone, whether you are the PAP or not!

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