THE number of sexual assault cases involving victims aged below 16 allegedly committed by family members rose by 61% in 2021 from 2019.
Figures provided in Parliament last Monday by Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam showed there were 247 cases in 2021. He was replying to a question by Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera.There were 186 cases in 2020, up from 153 cases in 2019. Between January and November 2022, there were 190 cases.
Perera, who is from the Workers’ Party, said he posed the question after noting a global rise in domestic violence cases during the pandemic and was concerned that Singapore was facing similar trends.A 2021 United Nations report found that 23% of over 16,000 women surveyed from 13 countries, including Thailand and Bangladesh, said Covid-19 had made them feel more unsafe at home.The Ministry of Social and Family Development investigated 2,141 cases of child abuse in 2021 – the highest in 10 years and 63% more than the 1,313 cases in 2020. These cases included physical and sexual abuse, and neglect.
Corinna Lim, executive director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), noted that children find it harder to report abuse due to their high dependence on family members for financial and practical reasons.
She said: “Often, perpetrators might exploit this by emphasising the disastrous consequences of disclosing the abuse such as having the family unit broken, the breadwinner removed and trauma inflicted upon other members of the family.”
Lawyer Cory Wong said victims do not have to be afraid as there are measures in place when they report abuse and go through court proceedings.
“The court can impose bail conditions to prevent accused persons from residing with the victim and contacting them. Physical screens are also used to shield the victim from seeing the accused when giving evidence in court.
“A gag order also protects the identities of victims so they do not have to worry about people viewing them differently,” he added.
He said victims can seek help in schools, which are safe spaces where teachers and counsellors are trained to identify and report child abuse to the relevant authorities.
The police will also set up a new Sexual Crime and Family Violence Command this year to oversee all sexual crime and family violence cases. — The Straits Times/ANN
