SINGAPORE: In the latest battle over the media's reporting on women and sex in Singapore, women in the city have told Bikyamasr.com that they are angry over another report that details the world of sex inside offices in the country. “It is yet another example of how women are viewed in the media and in the country,” said Tanya Lee, a 31-year-old manager at a local firm. She told Bikyamasr.com that “if we are to truly overcome harassment, sex for business and the overall need to show women as strong and important, these reports must come to an end.” She was referring to a Her World report that revealed the inside world of sex in offices by female workers in Singapore. For many, the report adds to the ongoing reporting that “shows women as sex objects who use their bodies to promote and get ahead in the office place.” The report was among the most read articles, where details of sexual liaisons were revealed, mainly by female employees across the country and how they would “sneak around” and have sex with office mates. “This is disgusting and we women in Singapore are fed up with the constant reporting of this nature. Where are the stories of women doing their job and pushing society forward?” asked Lee. The sense of empowerment is being lost among women in Singapore, the woman argue. “I've lived in Singapore for 9 years now and this is the worst it has gotten," said Susan, an Irish national who came to Singapore as a teacher and decided to stay. She says that “women are facing an uphill battle against the media unlike ever before. I just fear that it will get worse as more and more newspapers just want to sell their issues and sex does sell." Women in Singapore have also demanded an end to “defamatory" name-calling online. This is in light of the recent reports that suggest Cecilia Sue, the woman involved in a sex-for-business corruption case, was being called “slut" and other terms on online networks. “The media is quick to pick up on this, but they don't bother when men are called names. It is as if only the degrading of women makes headlines," said a social worker who works with battered women in the country. Women here are angry at the accusations, questioning how activists and social media users are attacking the woman in the case and not the men who forced her to give sexual favors in order to seal business agreements. “It is disgusting and something we all should condemn," Maria Li Xui, an advertising consultant in Singapore, who told Bikyamasr.com that “people simply don't understand how difficult it is to be a woman in this country and do business." She and other women said that the online activity and “debasement" of Sue has shown that Singapore has a long way to go before they can understand the role of women in society. “We are all struggling to get things done and work and sexual harassment and sexual favors are pushed on us all the time. It is reality that I think many Singaporeans turn a blind eye to," she added. Sue maintains that former Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) director Ng Boon Gay, who was a friend and client, had forced her to perform oral sex on him on the four occasions mentioned in the charges. At the time, she was with Hitachi Data Systems and then Oracle Corporation Singapore, which she joined last November as a senior sales manager. She also said that Ng attempted to rape her on at least one occasion in an effort to get a deal sealed. The case has highlighted the role of sex and business in the city-state. “He tried to rape her and yet the media simply remains quiet and acts as if her statements, however odd they may be, are not newsworthy enough," added Li Xui.
