Number of ‘low to moderate’ child abuse cases increases due to increased awareness of domestic violence

SINGAPORE: Civil society organisations saw an increase in low to moderate risk child abuse cases between 2021 and 2023, according to a report released by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Thursday (Sept 26).

Last year there were 2,787 such cases, an increase of 17 percent compared to the 2,377 in 2021.

In the first Domestic Violence Trends report, MSF defined Category 1 cases as cases with low to moderate safety and risk concerns for the vulnerable person.

This includes cases in which verbal abuse, such as derogatory remarks, occurs infrequently and does not escalate to physical violence or serious psychological abuse.

Level 1 cases are handled by community agencies such as child protection centres, protection centres and family service centres.

Cases with high safety and risk concerns that require legal intervention are classified as “tier 2”. An example of such a case would be if a parent inflicts serious injuries, such as burns or fractures, on their child. Tier 2 cases are managed by MSF.

According to the report, the number of new cases of Level 2 child abuse fell slightly by 6 percent – from 2,141 cases in 2021 to 2,011 cases last year. However, this figure remains higher than pre-COVID levels.

This could be due to the increased stress and conflict families are facing during the pandemic, MSF said. But the ministry also attributed the higher numbers to increased government and community campaigns during this period to raise awareness of domestic violence and reporting of child abuse.

Children between the ages of seven and 12 made up the largest group of cases in Category 1, while children aged six and younger made up the majority of cases in Category 2.

State Secretary for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling told reporters that the number of cases of child abuse is worrying.

“We see that the primary type of child abuse is physical abuse. We want to raise awareness about this and also work with educators and community partners so that we are better equipped to detect cases of child abuse,” she said on September 17.

Explaining her ministry’s position on corporal punishment, Ms Sun said: “We recognise the role that parents have in disciplining their children. But a line must be drawn when that discipline becomes too harsh and excessive, and this can be seen when there are open wounds and very widespread signs of abuse on the child.”

In such cases, MSF Child Protection will investigate the matter and refer the case to the court, she added.

“I think it is very important that any form of discipline should be proportionate to the child’s behavior. So excessive discipline that is harmful to the child is not something we can tolerate.”

MSF said the incidence rate of new tier 2 cases remained relatively low at less than three per 1,000 children – low compared to other countries. For example, the incidence rate was 21 per 1,000 children in Australia between 2021 and 2022.

“We recognize that some of these cases may not result in a final conviction, but we nevertheless encourage reporting as one case is one too many,” Ms. Sun said.