DOMESTIC OR FAMILY VIOLENCE (Steps taken to deal with problems)

Dr S. Vasoo asked the Acting Minister for Community Development what steps are being taken by his Ministry to deal more effectively with the problems arising from domestic or family violence.

The Acting Minister for Community Development (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi): With your permission, Sir, may I take Question Nos. 5 and 6 together as they are very closely connected?

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, the Women's Charter was introduced in 1961 to protect women and girls against abuse or exploitation and it serves to protect and preserve the family unit. The Charter provides for monogamous marriage under the Civil Law and spells out the rights and duties of married persons and their responsibilities to the family. It also has provisions to help couples in a family break-up.

Mrs Yu-Foo asked whether MCD will consider amending the Women's Charter to further enhance its objectives of protecting women and strengthening family values. The answer is "yes". The Member may be pleased to know that since early last year, MCD, together with the AG's Chambers and the Ministry of Law, has been reviewing the Women's Charter to address, among others:

1. the limitations in existing provisions in the protection of spouses and children;

2. difficulties experienced by the courts in the application of some provisions in the Charter; and

3. the concerns of both the Government and the public in the area of violence in the family.

Coming to Question No. 6, Sir, Dr Vasoo enquired about the steps taken by my Ministry to deal with domestic violence. This subject has indeed received much attention lately. I must stress here that our society cannot and must not condone domestic violence.

It must, however, be noted that domestic violence is a multi-faceted and highly emotional matter and requires a multi-pronged approach to deal with the problem. There is a need for sensitivity when dealing with disputes which arise as a result of the close interpersonal relationships within the family. I wish to inform Members that the Government had set up an Inter-Ministry Work Group chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs in April 1994 to look at measures to deal more effectively with domestic violence and to arrive at more effective coordination between the relevant agencies. This Work Group comprises representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, my Ministry, Ministry of Health, the Police, and the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations. The Group recommended, among other things, a review of relevant provisions in the Women's Charter to give greater protection to victims of family abuse.

The Work Group itself has undertaken several measures to enhance the management of domestic violence cases. Among these are:

a) review of procedures such as those relating to: the handling and the referral of victims (and perpetrators) to support services by the police; and the completion of medical reports to help the courts in its decisions on the issue of protection orders;

b) review of public education materials and outreach to victims of abuse; and

c) review the effectiveness of current legislation such as the application for Protection Order and punishments for breaches thereof under the Women's Charter.

My Ministry and the police have also implemented a pilot project involving the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and two social service agencies in April this year. The police have also reviewed the management of cases of domestic violence reported to them and fine-tuned their procedures. While the police are prepared to extend these improved procedures island-wide, they and my Ministry recognise the need for a pilot project because of the inadequate number of counsellors and support organisations, which are critical to the successful management of such cases. The pilot project will be evaluated at the end of the year. If found effective, it will be replicated throughout the island.

My Ministry is also currently funding a 2-year diploma course on marital and family counselling for social workers of Family Service Centres. The training will help enhance the skills and pool of social workers who would be able to provide support to those affected by domestic violence.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua): Mr Speaker, Sir, according to feedback which I have received, divorced women face difficulty in obtaining maintenance from their ex-husbands. In this regard, would the Minister consider amending the Women's Charter to make it easier for divorced women to claim maintenance from their ex-husbands? The second question I would like to ask is: How can we further strengthen the Women's Charter to ensure that housewives, who are not working, get a fair share of the matrimonial assets in recognition of their contribution to the family in the event of divorce?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer to both questions is "yes". On maintenance matters, existing provisions will be enhanced to provide better assurance that spouses who have been home-makers and their dependent children are properly provided for in a break-up or in a family dispute.

As regards matrimonial assets, under the current provisions, if a home-maker has made some contributions to the acquisition of the assets, the home-maker's share of the assets could be constrained by the size of her contribution. The home-making effort of the party is ignored. However, if the home-maker has not made any contribution at all, the division of assets could take into consideration the home-maker's contribution to the welfare of the family among others.

We are addressing this issue to provide for a more equitable basis for the division of matrimonial assets and for the court to have regard to all circumstances, including the needs of dependent children of the marriage and the parties' contribution to the welfare of the family. I will elaborate on the details when I move the amendments to the Women's Charter.

Dr Vasoo: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the proposed changes would have sufficient teeth to deal with the problems of women who are affected by domestic violence and other related family problems.

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, the implication here is that the police are powerless to attend to complaints of domestic violence unless grievous hurt is involved. The Member asked whether the programmes and amendments to the Women's Charter would provide the police and the courts with the teeth to deal with the concerns of domestic violence.

Sir, the new provisions and the programmes being considered will enhance the powers of the police and the courts. As I said, I will elaborate on the details when I move the amendments to the Women's Charter later.