tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3801809563241422732024-03-19T22:56:31.427-07:00my geylang diaryThis is an archive of outreach efforts at geylang. Email: scmsing@gmail.comDishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-58275064495446130412010-06-28T23:54:00.000-07:002010-06-28T23:54:49.883-07:00new faces, old faces<div style="text-align: justify;">I met with some women from Indonesia who recognised me from last week's outreach. She smiled at me and this time, I had a much easier conversation with the women. I did not feel hesitant like last week. I had soap with me and was giving this out liberally. One of the women asked if I have face masks to give away for free. YL felt we were like a mobile convenient store. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before we met with the Indonesian women, I had an intimate chat with J. She goes to work in a cab and goes home in a cab too. I asked her if this is costly and her reply was that she prefers it that way as she is not sure about the alighting stops near her home. I thought this was strange considering if you live in a neighbourhood for a long time that you find out about the nearest MRT or bus stops. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We moved on and met with a young Bangladeshi woman. She is new in Singapore and this seems to be a common sight with the Bangladeshi women. I have not recognized any of the Bangladeshi women from other outreach days. They are not regulars of Geylang. A Bangladeshi man was nearby to help us translate. He said that he was visiting a friend in Geylang but we don't think so. The Bangladeshi woman said she is Christian, she has a bindi on her forehead. I don't believe that she is Christian, she could be Muslim in the guise of being Christian.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Lorong 16, we met with the transgender women. One of them does not look transgender but more like an Indian Muslim. She spoke in Malay and took the soap from me. She asked her friends in Malay if this is for washing the genitals. Jo, the volunteer said, he would arrange for some feminine wash someday. It seems like this could be a need for some. We don't know. However, the needs are varied. One transgender woman asked us why we do not distribute condoms to the men. She emphasized that as a sex worker she calls for her clients to use condoms otherwise she does not service their business. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One other important lesson I've had to remind myself last night was to not hesitate and speak to sex workers. I have to refrain from staring and smile more. I had an encounter where a Singaporean Malay sex worker felt offended by me staring at her. She declared unhappily to the other volunteers to tell me not to stare at her. I felt ashamed for having done so and thought about this more. I hesitated with Singaporean sex workers who are non-transgenders because I don't know if they will mind me talking to them. It seems as if I am used to the foreign women and transgenders but there are a group of women who are working on a different street which may not have the same feel as the other streets. I remember being bullied by some Malay students in my secondary school for having stared at them. Jo said my big eyes are too piercing for them and it is further enhanced with the lack of a smile. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>SMILE!</b></div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-15590562055717385122010-06-21T20:16:00.000-07:002010-06-21T20:16:32.779-07:0021st june 2010: the revival<div style="text-align: justify;">i've been away from geylang for a long-time. the last outreach was in february 2010. i think some new developments happened ever since. one such development was an article about migrant sex workers on special passes or social visit passes being abused by customers. YL and JG gave their take on the matter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">last night, me and 2 other volunteers able to converse in malay tried to approach the indonesian women. it was hard getting rejected but i was not that surprised. what i felt was that the women hang small plastic bags on the wired fences and this bag contain condoms. i guess they would leave that bag behind if the raids happened. it could look like a harmless piece of trash hung on a fence to the police officers. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">the PRC women were ready to take the condoms. they spread the word amongst themselves too and each peered into our bags grabbing as much as they want. the women keep the condoms in a plastic bag too stashed away in a nearby green bush. i loved discovering these subtle hideouts which i think is a smart strategy to evade police officers who search their bags only to become suspicious of them when condoms are found. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">i met with 3 bangladeshi women. there was a bangladeshi man who happens to be someone i know of. he used to work in singapore and got into employment disputes. but i felt suspicious because he seemed to know the women and may have been their caretaker or pimp. when i asked if he is friends with the women, he said that he lives nearby geylang and knows the women because they often come to him for help. i did not know if he was telling me everything. one of the women approached him and smeared his faced teasingly but he spoke in bengali to her sternly. well, i was not convinced of his presence there to be incidental. </div><br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/33390812/The-New-Paper-Article-2010-05-30" style="display: block; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View The New Paper Article 2010-05-30 on Scribd">The New Paper Article 2010-05-30</a> <object data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" height="600" id="doc_592613354580798" name="doc_592613354580798" style="outline: medium none;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=33390812&access_key=key-29h29mp9hpzwcutggk0p&page=1&viewMode=slideshow"> <embed id="doc_592613354580798" name="doc_592613354580798" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=33390812&access_key=key-29h29mp9hpzwcutggk0p&page=1&viewMode=slideshow" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="600" width="100%" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff"></embed> </object>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-75886868499363198512010-03-07T02:53:00.000-08:002010-03-07T02:53:06.953-08:00february one time outreachI have been slacking on outreach efforts. Largely due to my current thesis for school. However, I got a call from YL who needed help for a one-time outreach during Chinese New Year. She brought chocolates to give away and we went to Lorong Bachok, a first encounter for me.<br />
<br />
this is a summary of the experience through an email exchange.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"> <i>we went to lorong bachok where i met <span class="il">sex</span> workers from china. they payj a fee to work here to the gangsters who sit around the same area. they are charged $10 for the first time and subsequently $5 to work at that street. the women don't go to other streets in geylang because they are afraid of being caught. the women are on special pass and not able to find jobs at the ministry of manpower's temporary job scheme for some reason. on this street, the women don't get hassled by the police and have some protection from the gangsters. but the gangsters charge them $2 for a packet of condom when they can get it at $1 outside. YL is very friendly with the women so they know who she and hui sien are. they have her number to call when they need check-ups or advice to on cases. she's been bringing some of them to MOM as well. new paper covered project X recently.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>the article on project X as appeared on the new paper, 31st Jan 2010. </b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNddnXvOnuH93H3hzhXLtJyv_p_37rmnb8YR6m5wTfRGqUY5_RNXxq5YMbaN_VTqxfsx8XeBhQXL0sSGLBHXDbyD90iCIxQqWKZ8bYJc4VkrrfQSEX6T-lQ0uL5h2FE6zDRA7b4ZR8uE/s1600-h/TNP+Project+X+article+31+Jan+2010+pg+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNddnXvOnuH93H3hzhXLtJyv_p_37rmnb8YR6m5wTfRGqUY5_RNXxq5YMbaN_VTqxfsx8XeBhQXL0sSGLBHXDbyD90iCIxQqWKZ8bYJc4VkrrfQSEX6T-lQ0uL5h2FE6zDRA7b4ZR8uE/s320/TNP+Project+X+article+31+Jan+2010+pg+1.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmLeGbfh1StRLRrP5h9A8g28kXGza0lpVXR4CT97xdadzMCzLYGm8hiiq8dSqjs1ss2L9MpWYLGrX1WCi3imNEytoTmQieKPgMfqnekknxvq9vgj0gKcNAR1qv9ewc9pp7GUcTtj7DxI/s1600-h/TNP+Project+X+article+31+Jan+2010+pg+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmLeGbfh1StRLRrP5h9A8g28kXGza0lpVXR4CT97xdadzMCzLYGm8hiiq8dSqjs1ss2L9MpWYLGrX1WCi3imNEytoTmQieKPgMfqnekknxvq9vgj0gKcNAR1qv9ewc9pp7GUcTtj7DxI/s320/TNP+Project+X+article+31+Jan+2010+pg+2.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i></div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-18442838514720721962009-10-27T07:10:00.000-07:002009-10-29T08:50:30.469-07:00account with police<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63jx3QwkMP2caxaM0bveZe6oVaj72Kr8IL4AD8NUdlkPOG-4D84cJtD2u2GCV7CNbIM-Gmz6Yk0ueD1m7UoCCaUjoPoh7xvO7OrszO1067Iawfq8CavSv-Mek8Im5CGMyCfWQrN6MiQc/s1600-h/300_chinacybercops3,0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63jx3QwkMP2caxaM0bveZe6oVaj72Kr8IL4AD8NUdlkPOG-4D84cJtD2u2GCV7CNbIM-Gmz6Yk0ueD1m7UoCCaUjoPoh7xvO7OrszO1067Iawfq8CavSv-Mek8Im5CGMyCfWQrN6MiQc/s320/300_chinacybercops3,0.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">this was written by someone else. i am re-posting this. all names have been changed. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>hi folks,</em><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em></em><br />
</div><em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>just like to share with you about my encounter with the police last night, sha was also with me and the whole incident was pretty amusing.</em><br />
</div><em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>last night we were standing along Lor. 16 and talking to Lisa (a transgender sex worker) around 8pm when the police van entered Lor. 16. the driver shouted "Lady Boy" at Lisa, and then the van stopped. 3 police officers came out, one chinese, one indian and one malay (so multi-racial in their raids). they walked towards us and said to Lisa: "are they your school friends?" this question was asked repeatedly and i was a little annoyed coz the implication was "has Lisa attended school"? i didn't say anything, and they asked elle for her IC, Lisa obliged. and then they asked us for our IC. this time i said firmly, i am a social worker. they were a little taken aback and didn't press us for our IC. the malay police officer asked us to go away, and i parted with "be gentle, don't be rough".</em><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>during that short period of time, my mind was racing, what should i do? should i go against everything? (i can be very nasty if needed) or should i not waste my energy on small fries like them? i chose not to waste my energy coz if this issue of police treatment needs to be addressed, i reckon we should go to higher ranks to negotiate, not talk to small fries who only take orders from the higher level. of course it's annoying to see low ranking people throw their weight around but i reckon we don't need to get upset and "beat the grass but frigthen the snake" (chinese proverb). </em><br />
</div><em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>i comforted myself by thinking at least some of them know there are people around who work for the sex workers.</em><br />
</div><em><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></em><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>quite an interesting encounter with the police.</em><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="background-color: yellow;">A few weeks back, I met with Savithri (not her real name) who had been hit in the eye with a lighter from her ex-boyfriend. She now has to undergo surgery to regain the use of her right eye. She cannot open her eye lid much less see from her right eye. Savithri does not have enough in her Medisave account to pay for her treatment. She is seeking help on this.</span></strong> <br />
</div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-74949597616485273222009-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:002009-10-06T08:32:00.275-07:00Rage<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I was outraged to hear of an incident that happened on Friday night. A police officer had kicked a sex worker who fled to a room. She was kicked on the back and she reported project X that there is a shoe mark on her blouse. She was arrested at 6pm and released at 10:30pm the same night. Project X asked that she takes a snapshot of this shoe print for documentation. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When asked about reporting her experience to the police, she told Project X that she does not feel confident to do so for fear of future consequences. This is understandable for who knows what past experiences of other sex workers who faced the same treatment got out of reporting their abuse stories. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When facing trauma such as assault, it is natural for victims to not want any trouble thereon. It is this important information that many fail to see. Instead, we (the non-victims) question why the victim does not want to make a report. As a community of concerned individuals, we know what needs to right or wrong. And we suggest ways to solve issues that are logical and can be implemented immediately. But we fail to consider the comfort level of victims, the need to give them space and provide safety first and the need to be sensitive. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Learning from this incident made me realise we can work on some basic knowledge. The intention would soley be for the purpose of figuring out what to do after an incident. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Things to note: <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Victims of assault must not be rushed to think of a solution. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. A safe space should be an option eg: a listening ear, visit to the doctor. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Research and adding knowledge to the case workers is helpful than passing loose judgments. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Discussing as volunteers on what to do when faced with similar situations is good for preparation. <br />
<br />
</div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-9631986761058003902009-09-28T21:32:00.000-07:002009-09-28T21:32:24.277-07:00volunteer meeting and the 2 day rule<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwV4wdviqJ2V2Taa2mqcyJEn789j19dzCXPBjbFnbAPgYnA6wgMnOHMBNq6LfipomPjdBbEVQkABlAQYnLC_hcO8BnrZNMPfu9cUlyDsC08ktcX7zbcyVPI25stz4xTjjwdRldEZtoKI/s1600-h/View_from_2nd_peninsula_hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" iq="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwV4wdviqJ2V2Taa2mqcyJEn789j19dzCXPBjbFnbAPgYnA6wgMnOHMBNq6LfipomPjdBbEVQkABlAQYnLC_hcO8BnrZNMPfu9cUlyDsC08ktcX7zbcyVPI25stz4xTjjwdRldEZtoKI/s320/View_from_2nd_peninsula_hill.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Project X held a volunteer meeting last night. there were about 10 or so who came. some plans ahead would be to host a blog, flyers with info to help sex workers from other countries. a mission and objective was concretized last night - that project x focus on the welfare of sex workers and work towards their betterment. this objective was accepted by the group, giving it a clear framework to touch base on when in doubt. it is still vague as to what betterment and welfare entails but generally, on a macro scale it helps others to point to a direction even though the road ahead has many turns still before reaching the final destination. I was pleased on this development. I contributed my opinion based on what I feel should be a focus. Access to justice such as the law is one thing I've been seeking answers for. I wondered what kind of legal protection do sex workers have if they need protection against pimps or customers who violate their rights. And considering we've heard testimonials of sex workers harrassed or dealt with unfairly by police officers, how do they seek protection from such abuses in future. To whom should they turn to and to what extent can they seek for justice. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We then proceeded to talk about Sunday's Mid-Autumn festival gathering. YL reversed the idea of giving to one which is contemporary in nature. Instead of us giving to sex workers, why don't sex workers give to us. What would they be giving? A homecooked meal. Sex workers would cook and share their spoils with volunteers. I am unable to attend this but I am sure it would be a hearty meal nonetheless. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later that night, we visited Geylang to catch up with some administrative needs. We didn't have anything to give, condoms or biscuits because it is with one of the volunteers. I don't understand why he keeps the bag of goodies with him and not bring it along. Sigh! <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We met with the usual friends. Increasingly I am getting tired of some of their woes. A particular J whose stories are making him go round and round. And the increasingly annoying moments I've had where people just speak Mandarin and not care about engaging me into their conversations. All I got to do was stand around and try to pick up whatever Mandarin I could. I find this a terrible habit Singaporeans have - to no include others in their conversations based on common grounds and based on the fact that it's easier to speak in a certain language. And Singapore wants more foreigners to live here? How can we do that when we don't even respect each other as Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok so I rant. Let's now touch on what I've learnt. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the past months, there have been a common thread arising out of the police raids that happen. Two types of police officers would raid the space and they're considered the leader of the pack of police officers. One is <strong><em>Botak</em> </strong>which I presume is an Indian guy. Filled with moral rage and conscious need to right what is wrong in society, he makes his appearance for two days. He is considered to be quite ruthless for he likes to use vulgarities. The other is called <strong><em>Malay</em></strong> and no second-guessing what race he is. <em>Malay</em> likes to pull hair and once he pulled the wrong hair of a Singaporean woman, not a sex worker. He was reprimanded for it and J seems to think he's mild down. Both <em>Botak</em> and <em>Malay</em> comes for two days and then rest for another two days before reappearing again. This means, Geylang's business would not operate for 2 days and then resume for the next 2 days. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-10277490694377498622009-09-22T01:34:00.000-07:002009-09-22T02:16:28.615-07:00The long night out<div style="text-align: justify;">M joined me and YL for a walk this evening. We did not anticipate this walk. It was raining earlier and we did not know if it is suitable to walk. R had the bag of goodies for outreach so we called out outreaching for the night. But we met with M and talked more about Project X and what M's proposal for December would be like. M is interested in the photographs taken by the sex workers. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We decided to bring M through the usual trail for exposure. YL is good at briefing at volunteers, she gives extensive information of the work beginning 9 months ago and the activities following it ever since. She gives case scenarious, focus on population of sex workers she's befriended and a general overview of why this project exists. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a quiet night. There were little women but more men around. I saw what looked like a gambling table with a Bangladeshi man overseeing it. He was saying something but I don't understand what it meant. I saw money on the table and a crowd of other men surrounding it. There was a little drizzle, wet pavements to avoid stepping on too. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was Eid in Bangladesh and workers from Bangladesh are seen in this area donning a kurta/salwar khamiz, the loose fit version that is far more comfortable. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Lorong 16, I saw a new worker I've never met before. She had on a shiny brown wig and sunglasses. I didn't register anything else when I saw that, I thought how nice it was to see something new on Lorong 16. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">E or J were not around either. We stopped at the final location and I spotted a nice-looking dude on bicycle. I told M, I wouldn't mind speaking to him and she said maybe you should say, 'how much?'. It was interesting because I never thought of women paying male sex workers for their service. It made sense for M to tell me that. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">YL got in touch with Ai and she invited us to her home. It is in a condo and she lived with her two pet dogs. Be and Sa live with her and share the rent as well. Be was out working for the night. Ai and Sa got back from shopping at Mustafa Centre, they shared their goods with us. Ai's two pet dogs are Jack Russells, the small-sized ones like the one featured as Milo in the movie, The Mask. We had tea, coffee and lemon tea. Sa wanted to make designs on a wall Ai gave her so she could make floral type works painted in black. She started on it mid-way through the conversations we were sharing. At one point, we had a good laugh when Ai's two pet dogs started arguing with each other. Ai pampers her dog to bits, she gives them fresh food and sleeps with them on the bed. She talks to them as if they were her kids. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The mood intensified as we got to know of Sa's recent troubles with her relatives. There were some difficult moments shared here and Sa looked like she was on the verge of tears. YL offered to bring her to the police station if she ever wished to report the issue. I think that it was a good move my YL to offer Sa an option of help even if she did not want to move forward with it. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The conversation went deeper, when Ai shared of her experiences with peers (or sisters as they call other transgenders) who commit suicide. There were various issues influencing this decision but I think one of the more bigger ones are trust with family or boyfriends.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ai turns out to be a tarot card reader too and she read for me using the Unicorn Oracle cards. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-28219057851064470822009-09-13T06:44:00.000-07:002009-09-13T06:46:15.042-07:00Lorong Something<em>Stephanie Chan was kind enough to allow me to re-post this here. This is a poem created out of her first trip to Geylang.</em><br />
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<blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Lorong Something</strong></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Some stray cats here have collars, sit in doorways of houses, others shit on piles of ashes. All, the same grey-white marks. One cat sleeps between the old lady by the drain (saying, she told me she felt itchy down there i tell her always tell him wash his mouth before bleblehbleh. because you dunno how many he bleh before after you---common sense) and the tall skinny Malay kid with the miniskirt some guy yells Ahmad at from his car, driving off. On a bad night, he stops: contusions, pulled hair, handcuffs, Ah Kwa. The kid leans against the drain railing. Waiting like the old lady. Still early: the moon not up yet. Just fire everywhere. </div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Blazing, both sides of the road, blazing controlled in metal drums. First day, Seventh Month: tis the season for sacrifice. Paper prayers turn to embers, ashes, heat. Smells changing from block to block, MRT station to coffeeshop: traffic fumes to belacan, garlic, bad breath; to where it spills onto the alley: smoke and sweat. Its hard to describe, though you’ve been here before in bad movies, TV. Here the streets are cleaner. No creepy music follows you round every cracked corner. Men push past, give you second glances. Clinical street lights, brighter. Clan association house: in front, a grey van, saris pushed up against. Red Bull inside for one dollar. Chinese man selling drinks to Construction Workers. In every house an altar (eh hurry move don’t block). Perfume, foundation, mascara, short-shorts. Checking faces in pocket mirrors, checking over their shoulders. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Eyes dart. They stand. Not really there but who is? Not the cars, taxis, drivers that slow as they crawl past. Don’t stare, keep going. All that separates you from her, human from girl: the difference between walking and stopping. In alleys behind coffeeshops, the Men and the world prepare to meet again: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Man U match on outdoor TV, beer, VCDs. Purgatory. We are all in limbo here. </div></blockquote>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-74012894735567329112009-09-12T19:15:00.000-07:002009-09-12T19:15:36.655-07:00International Social Action Film Festival 2009<div style="text-align: justify;"><strong></strong><br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.ziteng.org.hk/">Zi Teng </a></strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<strong>12th September 2009 @ Sinema, Old School. Private screening.</strong> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
The films shown were from Zi Teng, an NGO in Hong Kong advocating for sex workers' rights. I truly learnt from the speaker, social work-trained Elaine. She touched on points about how one who is volunteering for this work, are viewing sex work. In the video she brought to share at the screening, there was a scene where a longtime volunteer of Zi Teng asked about the nature of the work they do. Whether they are abetting and not solving the problem behind sex work outrightly. She said this having had heard sermons at her church. In a way, she is at a dilemma and wonder why she is doing it. <br />
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I believe this was important to note and Elaine did point out, it boils down as to whether we view sex work as work. Our own personal barriers would eventually surface too. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Yock Leng made clear distinctions between sex work and sex trafficking. This was in comparison of how womens’ groups or migrants’ group approach the topic of sex work and how they would like to operate and see their involvement as. Project X is still a project per say and this means; there are no clear guidelines as to how one should operate when volunteering. The organic nature of Project X may appeal to some as they can get creative (this blog is one example as I felt a whole load of experience should be documented). Others have helped through offering time to make a blog and some to do photography. These are natural ways of society documenting and archiving grassroots works. I think this is positive and allows for volunteers a sense of ownership. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
I spoke and listened to a social worker from a Thai NGO called APNSW. She shared her story being a former sex worker and how she can connect with others. I like her and I think I would benefit from learning from her. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
For that day, we ended up at food03 to dine and chat. I went home thinking about what kind of laws are there to protect sex workers who are licensed here in Singapore. This would apply to those in brothels but not streetwalkers. I wondered how the migrant sex workers who are street walkers cope with the fear they face when working. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div align="justify"></div></div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-25327465540367249002009-09-07T20:21:00.000-07:002009-09-07T20:24:47.293-07:007th September 2009<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDFezCOQ3oz7WmEDqHgaWePIFXLjvr6D1DkFznTd9hyphenhyphennQ9GvpDjdnnjDmShKDpAvLFKd3h0KvVEbJnlSh5ErA0nGF9Cxe9hjqc1vqq4YQEb9xK-v9N4_a2bgeDMvArj2qn1s3I8VrGUM/s1600-h/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDFezCOQ3oz7WmEDqHgaWePIFXLjvr6D1DkFznTd9hyphenhyphennQ9GvpDjdnnjDmShKDpAvLFKd3h0KvVEbJnlSh5ErA0nGF9Cxe9hjqc1vqq4YQEb9xK-v9N4_a2bgeDMvArj2qn1s3I8VrGUM/s400/IMG_0242.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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Ai brought Sn to meet with everyone today. There are two new volunteers who will help to set-up a blog. She was preparing to move her belongings to the new place that night. She said there is concern over her pets at the new place. There needs to be a grill or cover to be placed on the windows. This is to prevent her pets from jumping off the 4th floor as compared to her former 1st floor flat. Ai pampers her pets a lot, they're like her children. She share that a certain animal welfare shelter in Singapore drowns newborn kittens due to space constraint. She used to volunteer at this charity group and friends working there shared these incidents to her. Complex. I cringed at the idea of helpless newborn kittens drowning in a pail filled with water.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
This night was terribly silent. We heard that a van and a car pulled up one street after Lorong 16 hence this was meant to be a sign of the anti-vice approaching the streets. Amazing how word of mouth spread once anti-vice squads are spotted even before they reached geylang. We met with An, LJ and two others we've yet to establish rapport with. They're transgenders and are from Singapore. We didn't see any foreign sex workers tonight. Funny how the transgenders we met were able to still walk the streets despite the warnings of anti-vice spreading around as compared to the foreign sex workers. I've heard many times from the Singaporean sex workers that foreign sex workers are not able to talk their way through to police officers/anti-vice squad. I don't understand what it meant to talk through to police officers, but I presume this means, to talk in a light-manner tone, joke around and smile a lot? But I've also heard that even with this method of 'talking through', Singaporean sex workers get caught still because at the end of the day, the anti-vice must bring in people to the station to fulfill quota. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
But this brings up more questions. How do the anti-vice squad decide when to make raids or when not to make raids? Do they have a schedule and what's the purpose of having raids? We've also heard testimonies of sex workers being mishandled by police officers, how is this dealt with? J was sharing that there is one tough anti-vice officer who is bald and big sized. He is the current officer on the unofficial watchlist of geylang for being brusque, foul-mouthed and not giving one a chance to speak up. The anti-vice squad may have their watchlist of places to raid, geylang have their own watchlist of anti-vice officers and this information helps keep the women informed. I think this raises awareness and helps one to recognise police officers who seem ready to unleash their rage/violence onto you. A man who can't control his rage well has been caged far too long. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
An. shared with us that the younger generation of police officers are ill-mannered. They use foul language like <em>fuck</em> a lot and this is in contrast to hokkien curse words. Maybe using the word fuck is a western form of rudeness that the Singaporean women are not fond of. J who popped by to chat with us when he spotted us on Lorong 16, said that the English used by westerners from USA are backwards. He said, Singaporeans use British English and we speak from the front. What I think he meant was that US English is not in clear sentences and does not have an end product, in contrast to British English where the sentences are formed and there is a direction to follow. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
We walked over to the next street after Lorong 16 and true enough, saw police officers pulled up at a monastery in front of the usual coffeeshop hangout place we visit. It didn't look like a raid but more so an accident just happened. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Learning points? Anger has it's use but how it affects the other depends on why and how you use your anger. The male officers are perceptive in their views of sex workers, demonising the women which unconsciously taps onto the separation anxiety they've felt growing up with the mother-figure. Unfulfilled and sudden changes in childhood experiences could possibly be attributed to why our personalities are the way they are and why we end up in certain professions like law enforcement where performing rage could often be mistaken to be part of the job. When the real task at hand is to suss out clientele visiting geylang who're abusing the social laws of safety, HIV prevention and misleading foreign sex workers who's pimps are mostly concerned with the money they will be making and not the health of their workers. Similar to migrant workers who do not get outpatient care because costs borne by the employer is to hefty. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-42133111905764695942009-09-01T08:13:00.000-07:002009-09-01T08:13:40.229-07:00no show from me this week<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYzMMJed_L3y5QU3usho5wtrfJ4rceDLrW_BBhaaCzgy9Itaffux_gKBPML3hFTA0oKq1Tf0LD1PCU1TP9ve0i7Haoq1M5zh9Ty2YK19-C9fAGichGa0BJ0842tvj9GiWczBb1Do-hKw/s1600-h/geylang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYzMMJed_L3y5QU3usho5wtrfJ4rceDLrW_BBhaaCzgy9Itaffux_gKBPML3hFTA0oKq1Tf0LD1PCU1TP9ve0i7Haoq1M5zh9Ty2YK19-C9fAGichGa0BJ0842tvj9GiWczBb1Do-hKw/s320/geylang.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A last minute call for work had me missing this week's outreach. I could not support Ai's visit to see the MP for her constituency. Ai is currently needing a new place for herself temporarily before getting a place of her own once divorce papers are filed in. The current tenant was not helpful but asked that she leave during the given deadline. Ai got two options to follow-up with her case and I think she will be doing so on her part. YL is hoping to contact her networks and assist in finding Ai a new place. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-84700788389234413882009-08-30T01:43:00.000-07:002009-08-30T02:33:05.747-07:00Moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTPMpOD8Ss1MN_994XxZiQLIqPNQWqtgT46eh52My9a4N-RMW0jKqdaYk7BjLEPRq17gCOezp9COA1U9SeomI_n3dxEyngbbK2L92sEeEZbdIKYVJhPEneMhqszEzNkEafSDbxJtI6v4/s1600-h/sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lk="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTPMpOD8Ss1MN_994XxZiQLIqPNQWqtgT46eh52My9a4N-RMW0jKqdaYk7BjLEPRq17gCOezp9COA1U9SeomI_n3dxEyngbbK2L92sEeEZbdIKYVJhPEneMhqszEzNkEafSDbxJtI6v4/s400/sign.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I saw this sign at a residential apartment in Geylang area. I didn't quite understand what it meant by 'hookers' and I thought it is more commonly used by Westerners. I wondered why this sign was here in the first place and what the objective would culminate into. How does the apartment management affirm that a potential tenant is a 'hooker'? To my knowledge, brothel owners apply licences (yellow card) for sex workers they hire but street walkers do not have one. So I wondered how would one identify a woman/man as a 'hooker'? </div>On another note...<br />
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Met with Ai tonight at Geylang. She shared about being in the sex work business since 16. She shared about how her family don't check in on her enough. She shared about how she talked to God most of the time and sometimes even to herself. She loves her pets, always going home early to feed them. Ai is Singaporean, she doesn't like kissing men since young because she does not like the moist left on her lips.<br />
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An is also Singaporean, over 40. She shared today that her own daughter ran away from her many years ago with her money. She has an adopted daughter which she cares for a lot. She takes anti-depressants and says she thinks about her daughter a lot.<br />
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When Ai and I crossed the road, Ai she held my hands. She held it and I remember holding hands with my dad and mum and grandma. I was conscious of pressing her hand too hard as I didn't want to hurt her. She stared at me as if she knew that I was uncomfortable. We parted ways after crossing and I said I'd see her next week.<br />
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Maybe I'm not used to getting close to anyone not even family members. But I truly liked Ai and An, their stories are bizarre and how they work through their days intrigued me. I wondered if they could cook and if I could learn from them some dishes to make.Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-48241470914273084072009-07-21T01:42:00.000-07:002009-08-30T01:43:20.902-07:00Confronting the EmpireTonight was one of the first few nights I’ve witnessed a sense of progression. Aside from the activities in line for awareness-raising from the volunteers, L shared about the possibility of reporting cases of mismanagement of power from the police. This means, an officer using vulgarities and other verbal abuses will be dealt with. In a bid to confront the empire, L showed a spark of heroism. A long-time coming, or is it just me perceiving a brief encounter? <br /><br />H brought a friend who summed up her experience well. She focused on how the space made her felt, more specifically for areas where the ‘fish-tank’ is and other darkly corners. The feeling of being on the edge and alert of one’s environment adds a layer of mystic to Geylang. The space feels like a township on its own, a character misunderstood by many. There are spots distanced from the main areas of visibility, suitably created for different dealings. A barber, a dealer or a teary woman. What’s their story? Tonight, the group felt that much closer to confronting the empire.Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-380180956324142273.post-20092959950171811962009-07-06T01:41:00.000-07:002009-08-30T08:33:49.414-07:006th July 2009A man in his late twenties was not willing to allow us conversations with a Singaporean sex worker of in the entrance of Lorong 20. Information was passed on the sex worker still. I was taken aback at the openness and boldness he displayed at quickly telling us to move away. His sense of authority was clear and he did this because we were blocking the way for potential clients to walk in. I wonder if our presence really makes a difference in the way their business is run. Would their customers think that we’re already taking the service of the woman if we were seen to talk to her? <br />
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One of the familiar pimps of this area still showed bad vibes as compared to the first time I met him. I wonder if the lack of friendliness is due to us imposing on his turf. He seems to have a lot of women under his watch and best thing was, he sets them in a place with dim lights. Would customers find this setting visible and what if the lack of lighting is one of the root causes of a lack of services taken up? Would placing the women in a place with better lighting help increase business? <br />
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Upon entering into Lorong 20, we met with lady (transgender) in traditional clothing. H offered biscuits but she responded in Mandarin to say no thank you. I wondered why she would respond in Mandarin when we spoke to her English. Could it be that she felt dis-empowered and showed her authority to H in an attempt to safeguard her social identity? That made me wonder how the sex workers see volunteers and our role in Geylang? Do we make people uncomfortable? Are we reinforcing certain norms they’re generally faced with in the world? <br />
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One of the highlights of this evening was meeting K. Her good nature was addictive and she is beautiful. A transgender with good sense of fashion, K shared that with her Pink IC, she is able to be let off by the police easily. She was once mistaken by police officers to be Indonesian of which she produced her IC to prove her nationality. A week ago (29th June 2009), Ai who is also a Singaporean, shared she did not have any good experience with law enforcers. She reported that her hair was pulled and that she was tied up with a plastic handcuff even though she offered to follow the officer in peace. Ai felt a great sense of injustice at being treated with disrespect. How would K and Ai channel their frustrations at such instances? Where would they receive recourse from? Would anyone ever listen or believe them when they share this? <br />
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It was precisely this point that brought me to the conclusion of tonight’s outreach. A reporter from The New Paper who was with us this evening asked that we include him on when we receive news of raids. He asked me if the stories I heard were something I’ve seen with my eyes. At that point of time, I truly understood and felt like I was in the shoes of a dis-empowered migrant worker or sex worker. That if I cannot produce evidence, I am guilty until proven innocent.Dishoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278864178799714254noreply@blogger.com0