Family violence on the rise in
Singapore
Straits Times
Dec 4, 1998
The first spousal violence awareness
drive aims to change the attitude that spouse abuse is a private matter
BATTERED wives took out more than 1600 personal protection
orders (PPOs) and abused husbands, 156 orders, in the first 10 months of
this year. These figures join a growing list of statistics that show the
rise in family violence here.
Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development) Chan Soo Sen revealed the numbers yesterday when he launched Singapore's first Spousal Violence Awareness campaign at the Raffles Hotel. He announced that the social service sector will increase its efforts to combat family violence.
The Ministry of Community Development will hold more training sessions and dialogues early next year for spousal violence counsellors, he said.
The network of agencies dealing with family violence has also completed a manual to improve the way they work with one another on family violence cases, he added.
With the tag line, "You hit. We hurt. It's everybody's business to stop spousal violence", the campaign hopes to reach out to the friends, relatives and neighbours of abused spouses.
National Council of Social Service (NCSS) deputy chief executive officer Ng Guat Tin, who heads the campaign committee, said the campaign aims to change the attitude that spousal abuse is a private matter for the couples involved.
She said: "We want to remind people that it is not a private family matter but a community issue which we are all responsible for."
Mr Chan said: "Traditionally, the community considers the subject to be shameful and embarrassing.
"Many prefer to look the other way, saying that family matters are best left to the family to sort out.
"The community finds out only when matters have already got out of hand."
He noted that reports of spouse abuse had been increasing.
An NCSS spokesman told The Straits Times that about 1200 PPOs were taken out against abusive husbands and wives between May and December last year. These are court orders which order the abuser to stop the abuse. For example, the court may order the abuser to keep his distance from the victim.
Campaign pamphlets, posters and pins will be distributed to the police, hospitals, child-care centres, community clubs and various community organisations.
In addition, The Necessary Stage will staged a play on spousal violence from Dec 3 to Dec 8, titled "Walking Into Doors".