More help for survivors of family violence to be rolled out

This is important because it provides immediate help to victims, said Ms Sun. Currently, those who require protection need to apply for a personal protection order that may take time, she noted.

“With this new initiative, which is that the officers on site will be able to issue emergency protection orders – that will be able to provide protection for the victims in the first instance,” she said.

The Taskforce on Family Violence was set up in February 2020 to better understand the family violence landscape in Singapore, identify areas for improvement, and make recommendations to tackle the issue.

Its report, released in September last year, included 16 proposals grouped under four thrusts: To raise awareness and enhance prevention for those at risk; to make it easier for survivors and the community to report family violence and get immediate help; to boost protection and support for survivors; and to increase the accountability of perpetrators and strengthen their rehabilitation.

ONLINE CHANNEL, CHANGE IN PENALTIES 

Another initiative in line with these proposals is an online channel, where survivors can report cases of violence against them, Ms Sun said. The channel will launch on Dec 30. 

“This is important because we know that there can be occasions whereby victims are not quite able to call and speak to an officer, because they may be in a situation of great duress and danger,” she said, adding that they may not be physically able to call a helpline at the time.

The ministry has spent time increasing the manpower for hotlines, making sure that social workers are available to attend to callers, Ms Sun added.

Family violence specialist centres will also be renamed as protection specialist centres, as it is not only victims with a familial relationship to the perpetrator who can approach them for help. 

Currently, these centres are already providing help for sexual violence victims … victims of intimate partner violence as well as victims of dating violence, she said.

The Women’s Charter will also be amended early next year to impose stricter penalties on those who breach rehabilitation orders. 

Family violence is a “serious issue”, said Ms Sun, and enhancing the penalties will send a strong signal that it should not be condoned whether or not it happens in a domestic setting.