Dr. Anamah Tan
PPA(G), PBM, BBM, JP
An outstanding women’s rights activist, a renowned family lawyer and a skilled negotiator, Dr Anamah Tan has close to 53 years of extensive experience in Family Law practice, as well as advancing the rights and status of women in Singapore, Asia and internationally.
Dr Tan is a pioneer in Asia’s women’s movement and a tireless advocate for gender issues, particularly, domestic violence and poverty eradication. Backed by her legal expertise in family law – her firm having won the Asian Law Award Singapore 2001 for “Best Family Practice” the Asian Legal Business “Legal Who’s Who Singapore 2003” and Global Law Experts Awards for Family Law – she has successfully lobbied for changes in the socio-political and legal frameworks in Singapore to advance the status of women.
Throughout her career, Dr Tan has combined her significant achievements in the women’s movement with a successful family and matrimonial law practice in Singapore.
Dr Tan is articulate and resolute in her advocacy for women’s rights. Her pragmatic views and professional approach have enabled Dr Tan to work well with both government officials and fellow activists. She has been an effective bridge between government and women’s groups, never forgetting her cause while ensuring that the changes she seeks are both substantive and sustainable.
She has been a board member and Vice-President of World YWCA working on issues such as human rights and disarmament. She has also represented Singapore either as head of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) or as an NGO member of official delegations in numerous regional, international and United Nations (UN) conferences on women’s issues and gender mainstreaming, including the 4th Conference on Women in 1995 and the Beijing+5 UN General Assembly Special Session on Women in 2000 as well as Beijing+20 in Beijing. Dr Tan was the Past President of the International Council of Women (ICW), a women’s rights world body since 1888 headquartered in Paris. Her term of office was from September 2003-2006 and 2006-2009. Dr Tan’s most high-profile role to date has been as Singapore’s representative on the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (2004-2008). The Committee focuses on overseeing the progress for women in the member countries of the U.N.
In Asia, Dr Tan has served in various leading capacities in major women’s councils and organisations, and on ministerial committees on community and family projects in Singapore. She was the Past President of the ASEAN Confederation of Women’s Organisations (ACWO) from 2000-2002 and the Past President of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) from 1992-2002. As a respected women’s leader, she has initiated and spearheaded many projects that have benefited countless women and their families. She has organised and addressed many noteworthy conferences that have raised awareness of gender issues in Asia.
In Singapore, Dr Tan was one of the key persons who made representations to the Select Committee, on behalf of the SCWO and the Council of the Law Society, on the amendments to the Women’s Charter in 1996. The Charter is Singapore’s primary family law statute and its own unique legislation to protect the rights of women, especially in marriage and family matters. Dr Tan worked for the establishment of a Family Court, which has since been set up in Singapore, to help, among other things, dysfunctional families and victims of abuse, who are usually women and children, to access and obtain legal protection. In 1980, Dr Tan played an influential role in galvanising the leading women’s associations in Singapore into a unified body under the umbrella of the SCWO. The 100,000-member strong Council has since worked on many women’s projects and causes including developing a shelter for victims of domestic violence and a thrift shop to part fund it.
Through her volunteer work she has held several roles including past president and member of the ICW, founding member and former president of the SCWO, founder of the Star Shelter for Abused Women, founding member and still an active member of the Singapore Association of Women Lawyers (SAWL), and member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers Executive Council (FIDA). She has been fortunate, she says, to be recognized with several awards including the Public Service Medals, being amongst 108 women inaugurated in the Singapore Women Hall Of Fame 2014.
Dr Tan’s contributions to public service have been highly commended both by the Singapore Government, the Non Governmentalsector and private sector. She was awarded a National Medal for Community Work in 1993 (for helping the poor, the underprivileged, and women), (PBM), a National Medal for Public Administration (Bronze) in 1966 (PPA(G)) and a National Medal for Public Service Star in 1998 (BBM). She was also conferred the SCWO Award 2003 for her contributions to the women groups in Singapore and the Leader Mentor Award in 2003 by Research Communication International for her contribution in grooming leaders in the community.
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