Of the 1,000 Singaporeans polled – the majority of whom are 15 to 35 years old – 43 per cent said that they have been stalked, bullied or befriended by imposters over the Internet.

It is with the intention to educate young people, especially vulnerable females, against online harms that TSMP Law Corporation partnered with Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls (CWG) for the firm’s latest Handprint initiative. TSMP’s joint managing partner, Stefanie Yuen Thio, is a founding member of AfA, as well as the chairperson of SG Her Empowerment Limited (SHE). Born from the work of AfA, SHE is a new charity established for the empowerment of women and girls in Singapore, and many of TSMP’s lawyers are involved in the charity in various capacities.

This year’s event was spread over two days. On 22 June 2022, 45 girls and young women from Petapis CWG were invited to TSMP’s office at 6 Battery Road for a presentation on online harms, where they were taught how to identify threats like fake news, job scams and love scams, as well as what constitutes doxxing and cyber bullying.

After tea time, with snacks and drinks provided by TSMP, the firm’s lawyers also shared with the participants, some of whom may be interested in a career in the legal industry, on what to expect and the various options they could pursue. There was also an interactive TikTok session where the participants put into good use the knowledge they acquired from the presentation.

On 24 June 2022, these beneficiaries were invited to a day out at Adventure Cove Waterpark at Sentosa, which marked the first visit to the attraction for many of them. Here, they were chaperoned in small groups for close interaction with TSMP lawyers and staff, where they could continue the conversation from the earlier office visit, or simply have a full day of fun. The firm sponsored the tickets and lunch for the beneficiaries.

Said June Ho, Partner and Head of Community Services, TSMP Law Corporation: “Tackling online harms, especially targeted towards girls and young women, is a cause all of us at TSMP feel strongly about. The past two years have limited our ability to hold large scale face-to-face community events, so we are especially excited to be able to work with PERTAPIS CWG for this presentation and outing. Seeing the smiles on the beneficiaries’ faces truly warmed our hearts.”

Said Siti Nurbaiyah, Head of Home, Pertapis CWG: “We would like to thank TSMP Law Corporation for trusting and believing in our girls. We are so grateful to be part of the Handprint 2022 Programme which benefitted 45 girls. It is definitely the people of TSMP that made the collaboration and partnership special. We had the opportunity to learn about scams, doxxing, deepfake and the kind and motivated staff of TSMP were positive role models to our girls. We are so thankful for the generosity, camaraderie and support rendered. The two days have made a positive impact on our girls’ lives. The programme may have concluded, but our girls are still buzzing about the amount of fun, narrating about their wonderful mentors and the patience the mentors had towards them. We are deeply grateful and truly excited for future collaborations with TSMP.”

About TSMP Law Corporation

TSMP Law Corporation is one of Singapore’s leading law firms. Named the Boutique Law Firm of the Year 2016, Transactional Boutique Law Firm of the Year 2017 & 2020 and Dispute Resolution Law Firm of the Year 2018 and 2019 at the ALB SE Asia Law Awards, it is a corporate and commercial law firm with niche capabilities in handling complex transactions, as well as complex and challenging litigation and arbitration cases. It also prides itself on its pro bono and community engagement, for which it has won the President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) in the Small and Medium Enterprises Category in 2018 after having been recognised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) as a Champion of Good for two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018.

About Handprint

As part of its outreach programme, TSMP closes two days a year for all staff to participate in community charity events it organises under its Handprint banner, aiming to benefit at-risk children and youth, foreign workers and the elderly.

About Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls

Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls provides residential care and support to girls aged 12 to 21 years old. Our residential services focus on empowering young people to develop their social, emotional, independence and functional skills, enabling them to acquire coping skills for the future, and take steps towards resilience and well-being.