K Shanmugam, the vice-president of the Law Society of Singapore, has criticized him for his remarks regarding the case of a previous actor who was found guilty of rape.
Mr. Shanmugam claimed in a Facebook post on Monday ( Mar 24 ) that he was surprised by comments made over the weekend on LinkedIn by lawyer Chia Boon Teck.  ,
Mr. Chia, who is the co-managing chairman of the law firm Chia Wong Chambers, made a comment on the highly regarded circumstance of ex-Wah! Lev Panfilov, a panamana actor, was found guilty last Friday by the High Court on charges of molesting the same woman victim while also being a victim of rape, sexual abuse by infiltration, and abduct.  ,
Mr. Chia made an appearance in his blog to issue the victim’s behavior during the crimes.  ,
Mr. Shanmugam noted in his Instagram post that Mr. Chia was suggesting that the sufferer in Panfilov’s case” should not be believed,” despite the High Court having found the victim” an exceedingly encouraging witness” whose evidence was “internally and publicly regular.”  ,
The secretary acknowledged that Mr. Chia had “expressed his private views,” but he also made reference to the Law Society’s administrative makeup.
” My issue is that some people may actually believe that the views he has expressed reflect the standards in Singapore,” Mr. Shanmugam said. And I’m concerned about the effects his declaration might have on other patients.
The minister next shared his own opinions and what his two ministries have been doing to assist sexual assault victims, including how a clause in the Proof Act, which allowed defense attorneys to query an alleged victim of rape in an effort to establish that the sufferer was of usually evil character, was repealed in 2012.  ,
Marriage immunity for murder was abolished in 2020, making it impossible for a partner to have sex with his wife without her assent.  ,
Two years later, the penalties for physical offenses, including molesting, were increased.  ,
” As I previously stated, we have been moving quite in the same course, no matter what administrative position he holds,” said Mr. Shanmugam, referring to some of the changes to the law over the years.  ,  ,
” I sincerely hope that our society will continue to provide a proper foundation for the protection of people who are victims of sexual assault.” Patients very frequently keep quiet. We must assist them in reporting and coming forth.
He added that lawyers, especially those in senior jobs, must be cautious when making statements that “minimise or ignore victims ‘ concerns,” as it can “disproportionately effect others” who does then not get ready to report what happened to them.  ,
Lawyers should still adhere to proper boundaries in court, the minister continued, noting that this did not imply that every allegation made by a woman against a man should be taken literally.
” Shaming and blaming victims crosses the line,” he said. And misogyny should not be a part of our society, according to Mr. Shanmugam.  ,
The Association of Women for Action and Research ( AWARE ) and the legal fraternity have criticized Mr. Chia’s statements, with some calling them “victim-shaming.” Others demanded that he apologize and step down from his Law Society position.
Since then, Mr. Chia has since removed the position and stated to CNA that the goal is to draw people’s attention to their situational awareness rather than to blame any particular party.