Whatever you set out to do, don’t let gender stereotypes stand in your way. These were the words of Simran Toor’s secondary school principal. To say that the 43-year-old CEO of non-profit SG Her Empowerment (SHE) made it her life’s mission would not be a stretch.
Growing up in a progressive family was helpful. “I was never encouraged to step into the kitchen,” she laughs. Instead, the emphasis was on pursuing her passions and honing her strengths.
Fairness and justice have always assumed centrestage in her life. “It has been at the core of how I view the world. I’m always speaking up for the underdog and concerned about a fair outcome.”
No surprise then that she took up law as her profession, starting out as a criminal prosecutor, before establishing her own private practice in 2014. Regardless, dispute resolutions and fighting for gender equality and fair treatment, were the motivating factors.
That’s what inspired her voluntary work she did growing up and kept her on the council of the Law Society of Singapore for 12 years, where she’s championed equitable treatment for women lawyers.
Early 2022, at the Sunlight Alliance for Action (Sunlight AfA) consortium, a private-public initiative that aims to tackle gender-based harm, she met fellow lawyer Stephanie Yuen Thio, the founder and chairperson of SHE. The latter’s board comprises women who had all volunteered at the serendipitous AfA event, including former Paralympian Theresa Goh and migrant worker advocate Dipa Swaminathan.
As CEO of the new organisation, it became apparent to Simran that a one-stop resource to tackle online harm in Singapore was urgently needed. “People don’t know where to go and 90 per cent of them just don’t end up making a report when they experience harms,” says Toor.
In the pipeline is a victim support centre at the premises of Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) for women to turn to for guidance, legal assistance and counselling with regards to online harm, harassment, non-consensual image sharing, and more.
The acute awareness of the digitisation of our lives is reflected in SHE’s focus — empowering women in the digital age was the theme of their launch event held on 13 September.
“We eat, shop, work, attend school and even date online — it’s part of our lived experience. So, it’s important to view all the actions and policy changes we want to make in support of women through that lens,” says Simran.
The issues are varied and age-dependent, from the gender gap in the workplace to unbalanced caregiving burdens at home. Evidence-based advocacy strategy is the way forward, says Simran.
“Our ultimate aim in many of these cases is to advocate for policy and mindset change. And to do that it’s imperative to have the proper data behind us. We really want to be able to say that we have taken a ground-up approach and that we are addressing a need that actually exists.”
Though SHE is still in its infancy, tech giants including Google, Meta and TikTok have offered their support. Simran says she’s fuelled by the prospect of making a clear difference in women’s lives.
“Besides, I am someone who made her hobby her profession. It’s nice to be in that position,” she says, smiling. “I can’t quite articulate that feeling.”
Photography: Mun Kong
Styling: Chia Wei Choong
Hair & Makeup: Aung Apichai from Artistry Studio, using Tom Ford and Kevin Murphy
