June Goh
Singapore Council of Women’s Organization
“There has never been a better time in history to be born female.” This was passionately delivered by Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of the United States, at the sixth annual Women in the World Summit in 2015. More than a rousing statement, it is also a declaration that women of this new century have not only improved their position in society, but have also conquered new frontiers in every field all over the world, confident to lead new generations to come. Across the ASEAN region, women are making themselves heard and, over the last 50 years, have made tremendous progress and contribution to the growth and social development of their nations. In Singapore, significant progress has been achieved not only through public legislation, but also through efforts from civil society and strong women in advocacy.
One such prominent woman whose work and influence has shaped Singapore’s policy on women, and will continue to do so, is Dr Kanwaljit Soin – a highly respected orthopaedic and hand surgeon, former Nominated Member of Parliament and an outspoken campaigner dedicated to improving the lives of women. A strong advocator for women’s rights, as well as social issues, Dr Kanwaljit is a founder of several welfare and advocacy organisations.
Dr Kanwaljit’s work in civil society began in 1985 when she was a founding member of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). In 1992, Dr Kanwaljit became Singapore’s first female Nominated Member of Parliament where she raised a plethora of topics, including female representation in parliament, ethnic self-help groups, health policies, the aged and immigration issues, which were all pertinent to society. Her most noteworthy contribution to Singapore was her integral role in changing the legislation pertaining to family violence where her key proposals were included in the amendments of the Women’s Charter that later resulted in the introduction of the Personal Protection Order for women who have been domestically abused.
Dr Kanwaljit is also the founding chairperson of the Singapore Chapter of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the founding president of Women’s Initiative for Ageing Successfully (WINGS). Her work at UNIFEM Singapore Chapter championed programmes that aim to alleviate poverty and promote education and healthcare throughout Southeast Asia. Early this year, Dr Kanwaljit wrote and published a book “Silver Shades of Grey” that discusses Ageing with an Asian focus.
Dr Kanwaljit’s remarkable achievements in the medical field as a surgeon, and her services and significant contributions to civil society, have helped her gain numerous recognitions. She was named “Woman of the Year” by Her World Singapore in 1992 and received both the Singapore Medical Association Merit Award and the “Good Samaritan” Award from the Rotary Club of Singapore in 2008. In 2014, she became one of the honoured inductees to the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame, an initiative of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations that aims to recognise and salute the outstanding women of Singapore in all fields of endeavour.
(Presented in the international conference – Prominent Women in the ASEAN Community, 13 July 2018, Le Meridien Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies and Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University)