SINGAPORE: A Bill was tabled in parliament on Tuesday (May 9) to give authorities more powers in cases of family violence, such as issuing emergency orders at the scene of a high-risk case.
The emergency order can be issued by the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT) to perpetrators at the scene if there is a danger that the person will commit violence imminently, and the order is necessary for the victim’s protection or personal safety.
Perpetrators can be arrested if they breach these emergency orders, which last 14 days.
The Women’s Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) (Amendment) Bill had its first reading in parliament on Tuesday, tabled by Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling. The last time the Act was amended for matters related to family violence was in 2016.
The emergency order restrains the perpetrator from committing further violence against a family member. It also gives the victim time to apply for a PPO or to get an expedited order.
An expedited order is issued by the court if it is satisfied that there is a danger of family violence being committed, while it decides on an individual’s application for a PPO.
In addition, emergency orders, expedited orders and PPOs may include other provisions, on top of the existing provisions for domestic exclusion and counselling.
One is a Stay Away provision that prohibits the perpetrator from being in the vicinity of the victim – for instance, in the area outside his or her home, or a place the victim frequents. There’s also a No Contact provision that prohibits the perpetrator from communicating with the victim.
The proposed changes strengthen the legislative framework to better protect victims of family violence and enhance rehabilitation and accountability of the perpetrators, said MSF.