Domestic abuse cases handled by community agencies remain elevated in 2025, with over half involving children

Child abuse continued to account for the largest share of low- and moderate-risk cases, with physical abuse being the most common type experienced, a Ministry of Social and Family Development report found.

A boy hiding under a table while being scolded. (Photo: iStock)

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SINGAPORE: The number of new low- and moderate-risk domestic abuse cases rose slightly to 4,686 last year, according to a report by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) published on Thursday (Oct 29).

This was up 3.5 per cent from 4,527 cases in 2024, with the ministry describing the figures as broadly stable. But it highlighted that cases remained elevated compared with the 3,918 recorded in 2023.

MSF said in its third Domestic Violence Trends Report that the “continued elevation” in cases may reflect improved detection and reporting of abuse, as well as earlier intervention.

“Sustained public awareness, legal protections and comprehensive support services may have continued to support earlier help-seeking, allowing concerns to be surfaced and managed sooner,” it added.

Child abuse continued to account for the largest share of low- and moderate-risk cases, with 2,476 recorded in 2025, up from 2,373 the year before.

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Separately, 2,021 new high-risk abuse cases were recorded last year, including 1,917 child abuse cases, the report found.

However, this overall high-risk figure cannot be directly compared with previous years because of changes to how child abuse cases are counted.

The ministry said the revised methodology is aimed at improving the accuracy and consistency of reporting, adding that it does not affect how cases are assessed, managed or supported.

Cases with low to moderate safety and risk concerns are categorised by MSF as tier 1 cases and overseen by community agencies such as child protection specialist centres and family service centres.

High-risk cases, known as tier 2 cases, are overseen by MSF's Protective Service and may warrant statutory intervention, such as removing a child from their home to ensure their safety.

For example, a case involving occasional derogatory remarks that do not escalate into severe physical violence or psychological abuse would be classified as tier 1, whereas a case involving a parent inflicting serious injuries, such as burns or fractures, on a child would be categorised as tier 2.

In the first half of this year, preliminary data suggest that new cases continued to rise across most abuse categories compared with the same period in 2025, said MSF.

While tier 1 child abuse cases declined slightly, tier 2 child abuse cases saw a slight increase. New spousal abuse, vulnerable adult abuse and vulnerable adult self-neglect cases also rose over the same period.

These figures will be released in next year's report, added MSF.

In its latest report, MSF outlined three changes to how domestic violence cases are counted and reported.

Previously, family service centres recorded abuse-related concerns at the household level rather than the individual level, said the ministry. This limited their ability to identify specific victim-survivors and may have overstated the number of people affected.

Under the revised methodology, MSF uses data from the Family and Adult Support Tool to more precisely identify individuals who have experienced or been exposed to abuse.

The second refinement concerns how high-risk child abuse cases are counted.

Previously, all children assessed in a household with child protection concerns were counted as tier 2 cases, regardless of whether they had experienced or been exposed to abuse.

Under the changes, only children who have been directly abused or neglected, or exposed to abuse in the household, are counted as tier 2 cases.

Children who are in a household with recorded child abuse concerns but are not exposed or subjected to abuse are no longer included in the figures.

On this, MSF said it would continue to assess the safety of all children in households where child protection concerns arise.

The third change addresses the double-counting of cases that move between agencies or between tier 1 and tier 2 classifications within the same year.

Previously, a case could be counted twice if it moved between the two tiers, such as when a high-risk case was transferred to a community agency for ongoing support.

Under the revised methodology, such cases are counted only once, under the higher safety and risk classification.

But cases that are closed and subsequently reopened because of new or recurring incidents of abuse continue to be counted separately.

MSF said these changes generally result in lower reported figures by more precisely identifying individuals affected and removing duplicate counts.

"The refinements for this year’s report were not prompted by a single catalyst, but are part of ongoing efforts to provide a more meaningful and accurate picture of domestic violence trends," MSF said in response to CNA’s queries.

The ministry added that 2025 will serve as the baseline year for overall tier 2 cases and tier 2 child abuse cases going forward, as applying the refined classification retrospectively to earlier years would require substantial manual review and re-coding.

"Where the methodology remains comparable, such as for vulnerable adult cases, we continue to present the historical trend," it added.

PHYSICAL ABUSE MOST COMMON AMONG CHILD ABUSE CASES

The report found that children aged seven to 12 formed the largest group of child abuse cases across both tiers.

Physical abuse was the most common type among tier 1 child abuse cases, with 1,421 cases reported in 2025. This was followed by emotional and psychological abuse, with 562 cases and neglect, with 317 cases.

Similarly, physical abuse was the most common type among tier 2 child abuse cases, with 885 cases, followed by neglect with 483 cases and sexual abuse with 339 cases.

"A significant proportion of cases involved the excessive use of physical force for the purpose of discipline,” said MSF.

"While parents may adopt different approaches to discipline, MSF encourages parents to use non-physical means of discipline and build positive parent-child relationships."

Experts also cautioned against using physical punishment as a form of discipline, warning that it can have lasting emotional and psychological harm.

Mr Kevin See, director of integrated family service at social service agency Monfort Care, said physical punishment can be counterproductive, as children may learn to obey out of fear rather than understand why their behaviour needs to change.

"When the desired response does not follow, frustrated parents may escalate the force they use, increasing the risk of harm,” he added.

Meanwhile, spousal abuse cases also rose slightly, from 1,871 in 2024 to 1,920 in 2025.

"This upward trend was driven by cases managed by family service centres, suggesting that more victim-survivors are coming forward to seek support via family service centres," said MSF.

"This provides opportunities for social service professionals to work with families earlier, where appropriate and safe to do so, before concerns escalate."

Elder abuse cases remained broadly stable at 290 in 2025, compared with 283 in 2024. This is still elevated from the 2023 baseline of 230 cases, noted MSF.

The report also found that new high-risk vulnerable adult abuse cases rose from 70 in 2024 to 104 in 2025, while self-neglect cases increased from 14 to 37 over the same period.

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社会及家庭发展部的一份报告显示，儿童虐待仍然占低风险和中等风险案件的最大比例，其中身体虐待是最常见的类型。

男孩被训斥时躲在桌子底下。（图片：iStock）

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新加坡：根据社会及家庭发展部（MSF）周四（10月29日）发布的一份报告，去年新增的低风险和中等风险家庭虐待案件数量略微上升至4686起。

这一数字比2024年的4527例增加了3.5%，卫生部称这些数据总体上保持稳定。但卫生部强调，与2023年记录的3918例相比，病例数仍然较高。

无国界医生组织在其第三份《家庭暴力趋势报告》中表示，案件数量的“持续上升”可能反映出虐待行为的发现和报告有所改善，以及干预措施的提前。

报告还指出：“持续的公众意识、法律保护和全面的支持服务可能继续支持更早地寻求帮助，使问题能够更早地被发现和处理。”

儿童虐待案件在低风险和中等风险案件中占比最大，2025 年记录在案的案件为 2476 起，高于前一年的 2373 起。

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报告还发现，去年共记录了 2021 起新的高风险虐待案件，其中包括 1917 起儿童虐待案件。

然而，由于儿童虐待案件的统计方式发生了变化，因此这一总体高风险数字不能与往年直接比较。

该部表示，修订后的方法旨在提高报告的准确性和一致性，并补充说，这不会影响案件的评估、管理或支持方式。

无国界医生将安全风险低至中等的案件归类为一级案件，并由儿童保护专家中心和家庭服务中心等社区机构进行监督。

高风险案件（称为二级案件）由无国界医生组织的保护服务部门负责监督，可能需要采取法定干预措施，例如将儿童从家中带走以确保其安全。

例如，偶尔的贬损性言论，没有升级为严重的身体暴力或心理虐待，将被归类为 1 级；而父母对孩子造成严重伤害（如烧伤或骨折）的案件将被归类为 2 级。

无国界医生组织表示，今年上半年的初步数据显示，与 2025 年同期相比，大多数虐待类别的新案件数量持续上升。

一级虐待儿童案件略有下降，而二级虐待儿童案件略有上升。同期，配偶虐待、弱势成年人虐待和弱势成年人自我忽视案件数量也有所增加。

无国界医生组织补充说，这些数据将在明年的报告中公布。

无国界医生组织在其最新报告中概述了家庭暴力案件统计和报告方式的三项变化。

该部门表示，此前家庭服务中心记录虐待相关问题时，关注的是家庭层面而非个人层面。这限制了他们识别具体受害者的能力，并可能高估了受影响的人数。

根据修订后的方法，无国界医生利用家庭和成人支持工具的数据，更准确地识别经历过或接触过虐待的个人。

第二项改进涉及如何统计高风险虐童案件。

此前，所有在有儿童保护问题的家庭中接受评估的儿童都被计为二级案例，无论他们是否经历过或接触过虐待。

根据这些变化，只有直接遭受虐待或忽视的儿童，或者在家庭中目睹虐待的儿童，才被计入第二级案件。

那些生活在有儿童虐待记录的家庭中，但并未遭受或接触到虐待的儿童，不再被计入统计数据。

对此，无国界医生组织表示，将继续评估所有存在儿童保护问题的家庭中儿童的安全状况。

第三项变更旨在解决同一年内不同机构之间或一级和二级分类之间案件重复计算的问题。

以前，如果一个病例在两个层级之间转移，例如高风险病例被转移到社区机构以获得持续支持，则该病例可能会被计算两次。

根据修订后的方法，此类案例只会被计算一次，并归入更高的安全和风险等级。

但是，因新的或再次发生的虐待事件而结案后又重新开启的案件，仍将单独统计。

无国界医生组织表示，这些改变通常会降低报告的数字，因为它们能更精确地识别受影响的个人并消除重复计数。

无国界医生组织在回应亚洲新闻台的询问时表示：“今年报告的改进并非由单一因素促成，而是为了更准确地反映家庭暴力趋势而持续努力的一部分。”

该部门补充说，2025 年将作为未来所有二级案件和二级虐童案件的基准年，因为将改进后的分类追溯应用于更早的年份将需要大量的人工审查和重新编码。

“在方法论仍然具有可比性的情况下，例如对于弱势成年人案例，我们将继续展示历史趋势，”声明补充道。

身体虐待是儿童虐待案件中最常见的形式

报告发现，在两个层级中，7 至 12 岁儿童是虐待儿童案件中人数最多的群体。

在第一级儿童虐待案件中，身体虐待是最常见的类型，2025 年报告的案件有 1421 起。其次是情感和心理虐待，有 562 起案件，以及忽视，有 317 起案件。

同样，在第二级儿童虐待案件中，身体虐待是最常见的类型，有 885 起，其次是忽视，有 483 起，性虐待有 339 起。

无国界医生组织表示：“相当一部分案件涉及过度使用武力进行惩戒。”

“虽然父母可能会采取不同的管教方式，但无国界医生组织鼓励父母使用非体罚方式进行管教，并建立积极的亲子关系。”

专家还告诫不要使用体罚作为管教方式，并警告说，体罚可能会造成持久的情感和心理伤害。

社会服务机构 Monfort Care 的综合家庭服务主管 Kevin See 先生表示，体罚可能会适得其反，因为孩子们可能会因为害怕而学会服从，而不是理解为什么他们的行为需要改变。

“当期望的回应没有得到满足时，沮丧的父母可能会加大使用武力的程度，从而增加伤害的风险，”他补充道。

与此同时，配偶虐待案件也略有上升，从 2024 年的 1871 起增加到 2025 年的 1920 起。

无国界医生组织表示：“这一上升趋势是由家庭服务中心处理的案件推动的，这表明越来越多的受害者幸存者正在通过家庭服务中心寻求帮助。”

“这为社会服务专业人员提供了机会，让他们能够在适当且安全的情况下，在问题升级之前更早地与家庭合作。”

无国界医生组织指出，2025 年老年人虐待案件数量基本保持稳定，为 290 起，而 2024 年为 283 起。但这仍然高于 2023 年的基线水平 230 起。

该报告还发现，2024 年新增的高危弱势成年人虐待案件为 70 起，2025 年为 104 起；而同期自我忽视案件为 14 起，37 起。

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