Telling better stories of poverty in Singapore (March 2023)
"What do you plan to do about it?"
We start with a brief analysis of a CNA Insider video focused on Singaporean children living in public rental housing, share our full “The Community” podcast mini-series, as well as summarise both social service news in Singapore and global news stories.
#01: CNA Insider’s “Kids in rental flats: How does living in small spaces really affect children?”
Telling better stories of poverty in Singapore
As part of its “Talking Point” show, CNA Insider followed three children living in public rental housing and sought to document the effects of “living in small spaces.” The video is straightforward. You first visualise the smallness of the rental flats. Next, you meet the three children, after which they complete a learning achievement test and a behavioural psychometric assessment. Halfway through, the charity =DREAMS - which offers a weekday residential model, wherein children spend Mondays to Fridays away from their homes - is presented as a potential solution (one of the three children featured is accepted). Finally, the psychologist who administered the test and assessment offers a breakdown of the children’s performance, before the results are shared with the children’s parents.
17-year-old Wan Nur Wardina is one of the three children. She’s not in =DREAMS, and of the three she’s lived in rental flats the longest. Given her single mother’s work responsibilities - 12-hour days, including weekends - there are signs of instrumental parentification, with Wardina caring for her four-year-old brother, completing household chores, working on holidays, stressing over finances, struggling with school, and not enjoying much social support. At the show’s end, Wardina’s mother is presented with the daughter’s poor academic test results and psychological assessments of her demonstrating low self-esteem, low confidence, and signs of dyslexia.
The mother is then asked:
“What do you plan to do about it?”
“What do you plan to do about it?” Now, before I outline my disagreements on how we generally tell stories of poverty - centred on context, collective responsibility, and consent - I believe that the show was well-intentioned. Singaporean children living in rental flats deserve our attention, but we ought to do a better job of telling their stories.
Context
Housing insecurity and living in public rental housing form part of the challenges faced by low-income Singaporean households. The show’s missing context relates to the multi-dimensional influence and impact of poverty, such as family instability, childcare costs, food insecurity, as well as employment responsibilities and low wages. Despite the many problems they face, parents of low-income households still strive to parent and provide for their children. I understand the show’s need to use illustrative narratives and anecdotes, though the use of more empirical and rigorous evidence - when telling stories about poverty - would’ve been useful too. That all three children recognised that their parents were experiencing financial distress signalled awareness and warranted further investigation.
In other words, it's not just living in small rental spaces that affects children. It’s the overall context of poverty.
Collective responsibility
We want parents of low-income households to take greater responsibility. That’s fair. Yet the show had much less to say about community engagement and policy responses, and seemed to suggest that the residential model =DREAMS offers - as the only social initiative presented - is necessarily the panacea. There are certainly instances when children would benefit from spending time away from their rental flats. However, what about the alternatives? Take Wardina's mother for example. What if she didn’t have to work 12-hour days and could spend more time at home? What would a stable and adequate salary do for her household’s well-being? And how could she endeavour towards more permanent housing options?
In other words, what would collective - not just individual - responsibility look like in Singapore?
(Informed) consent
Some of you may disagree, but I did not appreciate how the three children, their parents, and especially their test results and psychological assessments were presented. I’m sure proper consent and assent were sought, yet I’m not sure if everyone featured fully understood how their stories would be presented. And I feel especially for the parents, who did not get to explain their parenting and household decisions. Given all that we’ve discussed, I would’ve focused less on individual psychopathology and explored a wider range of community engagement and policy responses. Individual responsibility and familial support still matter. However, we could do more.
In other words, beyond “What do you plan to do about it?,” to “What do we plan to do about it?” and “How can we better help you?”
In other social service news...
Pessimism and optimism in a post-pandemic Singapore: Reflecting on lessons and shortcomings, the government published a 92-page White Paper on the country's response to COVID-19. In a poll commissioned by the Ministry of Communications and Information, approximately seven in 10 respondents expressed confidence in the government and healthcare system and “felt that their overall quality of life was the same or better in 2023 than in 2019, before the pandemic hit.” However, a survey conducted by consultancy Edelman found low levels of economic optimism, that “only 36 per cent of respondents in Singapore felt that their families will be better off economically in five years’ time.”
Relatedly, a study by a tripartite workgroup focused on preventing abuse and harassment of health workers found that most of these workers did not make official reports and preferred instead to speak informally with their colleagues or supervisors. A majority have also witnessed or experienced abuse and harassment, but they were deterred by cumbersome reporting processes and negative perceptions associated with making reports.
More support for Singaporean youth, especially those less-educated and from lower-income backgrounds: Researchers at the National University of Singapore studying the work experiences of young, low-income Singaporeans documented challenges in relation to job mobility and mental health: “Less-educated young workers in lower-wage jobs are less likely to take up training, or benefit as much as their white-collar counterparts in their job search process.” Separately, to encourage youth civic participation, the government will expand training and mentorship opportunities and create more platforms for youth to be involved in policymaking.
Finally, “HDB to pilot new scheme in converted student hostel allowing low-income singles to rent rooms on their own,” instead of earlier flat-sharing arrangements.
#02: “The Community” (complete series) with AMKFSC Community Services
Last month, we launched our new podcast mini-series with AMKFSC Community Services, focused on community work and community development in Singapore. Here are all four episodes of “The Community”:
“Collecting stories, discovering places, and connecting people”: Participatory research, practice research, and Photovoice
You can also listen to the trailer.
The socialservice.sg podcast is hosted on Anchor and is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
#03: Global news roundup
There were diplomatic breakthroughs. Globally, a legally binding treaty signed off by the United Nations will create a new governing body to protect ocean life. Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties, including the revival of a lapsed security cooperation agreement. Militarily, in a landmark agreement under the AUKUS defence pact, the United Kingdom (UK) will design and build a new submarine type for Australia, and the United States (US) will sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the 2030s.
However, geopolitical tensions between China, Russia, and US persisted. As Chinese president Xi Jinping – who secured an unprecedented third term as head of state – met with president Vladimir Putin in Russia, characterising both countries as “good neighbours and reliable partners,” a Russian jet fighter and US surveillance drone collided, in the most direct confrontation between the two countries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Putin, on charges for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children.
Tragically too, globally, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that global average temperatures are projected to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2035.
Also read about the following in this month’s roundup:
Diplomatic breakthroughs and geopolitical tensions;
Bank runs and persistent threats;
Nationwide anti-government demonstrations and electoral results; as well as
Human rights threats and progress.