There is a saying that social service professionals tackling family violence are familiar with: If you don’t break out of the cycle of violence, the cycle will break you.

I learnt this from Ms Lorraine Lim, deputy chief executive of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO), who explained that the cycle of violence describes the phases in an abusive relationship.

For example, there is the honeymoon phase after the incidence of violence when the abusive husband may shower his wife with greater affection and promise never to use force again.

Thinking the worst is over, the woman goes on with life – until the man flares up again, and the cycle repeats.

Ms Lim said: “Studies have shown that if you don’t break this cycle of violence, it will escalate.”

Helping victims of domestic abuse break out of the cycle of violence is a major challenge, and perhaps the biggest hurdle is getting them to report the abuse in the first place.

Like other social workers interviewed, Ms Lim said family violence cases tend to be under-reported.

The shame of being abused and the fear that reporting violence will sever the relationship or get a loved one in trouble with the law are among the reasons why victims stay silent.

At the SCWO’s Star Shelter for women and children who are survivors of family violence, many women had endured the abuse for an average of between four and seven years before they sought help, she said.

A parliamentary reply in 2023 laid bare just how hard it is for an abused child, or the child’s family members, to report a loved one who hurt the child to the authorities.

Of the cases that the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Child Protective Service (CPS) investigates, abused children who directly reported the matter to the CPS form less than 0.5 per cent, while those reported by family members of the abused child make up less than 1.5 per cent of the cases probed.

Instead, over 95 per cent of reports were made by community groups such as pre-schools, schools, healthcare facilities, the police and social service agencies.

In another parliamentary reply in 2023, it was revealed that about 90 per cent of child abuse cases investigated by the CPS were committed by parents or caregivers.

On Sept 26, MSF released the first Domestic Violence Trends report, which contains data on child, elder and spousal abuse.

It showed that there were 2,008 new spousal violence cases in 2023, up by 15 per cent from 1,741 such cases in 2022. In 2021, the figure was 1,632.

The number of new Tier 1 child abuse cases, defined as those with low to moderate safety and risk concerns, rose 17 per cent from 2,377 cases in 2021 to 2,787 cases in 2023. There were 2,760 such cases in 2022.

Greater awareness and better detection

This rise in lower-risk child abuse and spousal violence cases may actually be a positive development.

Social service professionals who work with victims of family violence cite two factors that have contributed to the growing numbers.

First, there is more awareness of family violence and a greater willingness to report the abuse.

Not only are more victims and their loved ones seeking help to stop the violence, some abusers are also realising they need help, social workers say.

Ms Joyz Tan, director of Fei Yue Family Service Centre, said it is seeing some individuals seek help to manage their anger issues after realising their behaviour is considered abusive.

Beyond physical violence, the public is also now more aware about emotional and psychological abuse too, she said.

This is a good sign.

The violence that takes place behind closed doors cannot be addressed if no one speaks out or seeks help. Social workers note that if the abuse is not addressed, it tends to worsen over time.

Second, more people have been trained to spot and report the abuse. More than 9,300 people in various sectors, such as childcare staff and school teachers, have so far been trained to spot and report signs of family violence, the MSF said.

Certain groups, such as social service professionals, get more in-depth training in this area, social workers say.

Training professionals and people in the community to spot and report the abuse is critical because many victims stay mum about the abuse, or may not know what to do or who to turn to for help.

Ms Han Yah Yee, acting chief executive of Montfort Care, said: “The increase in Tier 1 (child abuse) cases may not be a bad thing as it’s better for cases to be reported early before it escalates to become Tier 2 cases.”

Tier 2 abuse cases are high-risk cases that may warrant removing the child from the family to keep him safe. They are managed by the MSF’s Child Protective Service, while Tier 1 cases are managed by community agencies such as Child Protection Specialist Centres. The number of new Tier 2 child abuse cases fell slightly from 2,141 cases in 2021 to 2,011 cases in 2023.

Early detection and intervention by community agencies would have prevented cases from escalating in risk, said the MSF spokeswoman.

From what social workers say, the child protection ecosystem is now better organised and better equipped to detect and manage child abuse cases. Hence, it is perhaps not surprising that more cases are detected.

More reported cases may not mean more people being abused

The rise in the number of new Tier 1 child abuse cases may not mean there are actually many more children being abused.

What it could mean is that cases which could have previously gone unreported are coming to light now.

The Government’s focus on family violence and the resources pumped into tackling this scourge have made a significant difference, social workers say.

They point to the work of the Task Force on Family Violence set up in 2020, which made 16 recommendations that are being progressively implemented.

These recommendations are in four areas: increasing awareness of family violence, making it easier to report the violence and get immediate help, boosting protection and support for victims, and taking a stronger enforcement approach and beefing up rehabilitation for perpetrators.

The task force is chaired by Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling and Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.

For example, it is easy to report abuse by calling the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline, launched in 2021. The public can also make an online report.

In 2023, the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (Dvert) was launched. The team, comprising social service professionals, responds to high-risk domestic violence cases with the police 24/7.

Mr Martin Chok, deputy director of family and community services at Care Corner Singapore, said Dvert officers are trained to assess the situation and refer victims to help services or a crisis shelter on the spot.

He said: “Without Dvert, the police may refer the case to us, but it may take a few days.”

Time is of the essence if it is a high-risk case to keep the victim safe, he said.

He added that the victim may change his or her mind about seeking help after a few days, when the act of violence has passed and life goes back to normal.

The Women’s Charter was also amended in 2023 to boost protection for victims of family violence and to boost rehabilitation and accountability for perpetrators.

These measures have a cumulative impact, which will have a deterrent effect on abusers and also encourage more victims to speak out and seek help.

The message is clear: Domestic violence will not be condoned.

And there is help for both the abused and the abuser to stop the violence.

It all starts by breaking the silence.

The Straits Times/ANN