New amendments to Singapore’s Women’s Charter aim to bolster safeguards for domestic violence victims.
Empowering Protection Measures
SINGAPORE – Starting January 2025, officers from Singapore’s Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT) will have the authority to issue emergency orders at the scene of high-risk domestic violence cases. This decisive measure aims to immediately halt further harm by restricting perpetrators from contacting or approaching victims.
The emergency orders may include prohibitions such as barring the perpetrator from the victim’s home, frequented places, or any form of communication. In cases of breaches involving a Personal Protection Order (PPO), electronic monitoring of high-risk offenders will also be introduced.
DVERT’s Role and Progress
Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling announced these enhancements during an appreciation event for DVERT partners on 18 November 2024.
DVERT, launched in April 2023, was one of 16 recommendations by the Taskforce on Family Violence in 2021. By July 2024, it had handled 307 police-referred cases, predominantly involving spousal abuse, with physical violence being the most common form.
Minister Sun cited a case where a mother was assaulted by her children. DVERT officers intervened, conducting a social assessment and placing the mother in a crisis shelter. The victim was subsequently supported in seeking PPOs against her abusers.
Legislative Amendments
From January 2025, key updates to the Women’s Charter include:
Lowering the minimum age for PPO applications from 21 to 18, empowering younger victims to act independently.
Expanding the definition of family violence to explicitly include physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse.
Recognizing coercive control as a form of emotional or psychological abuse.
These changes aim to enhance public awareness and encourage the reporting of non-physical forms of abuse.
Improved Support and Rapid Response
DVERT’s implementation has significantly reduced the time required for victims to receive help. Previously, police referrals to social service agencies often occurred the following day. Now, survivors gain immediate access to support, ensuring urgent safety measures.
DVERT senior manager Kumaran Govindaraju emphasized the importance of timely intervention: “By empowering DVERT officers to issue emergency orders from January, we can protect victims from further harm immediately.”
Martin Chok, deputy director of Care Corner Singapore, highlighted the importance of addressing all forms of violence: “Expanding the definition will help create awareness and encourage people to report cases they might have hesitated to flag before.”
Towards a Safer Future
With these enhancements, Singapore reinforces its commitment to combating domestic violence, ensuring victims receive swift and comprehensive support during their most vulnerable moments.
