An average of 539 child neglect cases a year in Singapore required authorities to step in

An overhead view of the stall in Circuit Road Market and Food Centre where a 15-year-old girl, under the order of the father, stayed for at least 11 months.

Published Sep 19, 2026, 05:50 PM

Updated Sep 19, 2026, 05:50 PM

An average of 539 child neglect cases between 2022 and 2024 in Singapore, involving serious issues like children left alone, untreated medical conditions, and unsafe living environments.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) Protective Service intervenes to protect children, working with families and community partners; removal from home is a last resort when safety cannot be ensured.

Parents may face prosecution under the Children and Young Persons Act. Social workers say many neglectful parents struggle with mental health, substance abuse, or lack of support, affecting their caregiving ability.

SINGAPORE - An average of 539 cases of children neglected by their parents or caregivers each year between 2022 and 2024 were serious enough to require the Protective Service (PSV) to step in to safeguard the child’s safety and well-being.

Such cases included babies or toddlers being left home alone, or parents not following the child’s medical treatment plans, adversely affecting the child’s health.

In other cases, the child became ill, developed sores or rashes because their homes were unsafe and unhygienic to live in, due to severe hoarding, excessive garbage or rodent infestation.

The parents’ neglectful ways persisted, despite efforts by community agencies to intervene, the MSF spokesperson told The Straits Times. The PSV is the MSF department that manages high-risk abuse cases.

A parent or caregiver may be deemed to have neglected their child if he or she wilfully or unreasonably fails to, or is unable to, provide the child with the necessities of life, such as sufficient food, shelter and care, said the spokesperson.

One such case the MSF was alerted to involved a 15-year-old girl who lived at her father’s wet market stall for 11 months and relieved herself in pails, instead of going to the toilet.

In 2024, the National Environment Agency conducted routine checks at the Circuit Road Market and Food Centre and found the girl and the father living at the small market stall.

The NEA alerted the MSF, who at that time placed the girl under the care of foster parents.

In 2025, the 63-year-old father was given a 24-month conditional warning, which means that he can be prosecuted for the original crime if he commits another offence during this period.

Under the Children and Young Persons Act, a person who ill-treats a child under their care by committing an act that endangers the safety of the child can be jailed for up to eight years, fined up to $8,000, or both.

The issue of neglect came up in a parliamentary question on Sept 10 by Sengkang GRC MP Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, who asked how many young children were found unsupervised in public places in the past three years and were assessed to need care and protection.

He also asked what actions could be taken against parents or caregivers whose neglectful actions put the child in danger.

In a written reply, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the MSF does not track the number of young children found in public places and deemed to be in need of care and protection.

However when the Police suspects such cases may involve neglect, they would refer them to the MSF for investigation.

In response to queries from ST , MSF said the majority of child neglect reports come through the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH), with the police, schools, healthcare professionals, social service agencies, family members and members of the public calling the helpline.

In such cases, ensuring the child’s safety is the MSF’s immediate priority.

The ministry works with the families and community partners to address concerns and help the child remain safe at home with the appropriate support and intervention.

Removing the child from his or her home is used only as a last resort. It is considered only when there are serious safety concerns that cannot be adequately managed despite intervention and safety planning, the MSF spokesperson said.

In such situations, the child may be placed in alternative care, such as with foster parents, while the MSF works with the family to address the underlying issues until it is deemed safe for the child to return home.

In the parliamentary reply, Masagos said: “Where there is sufficient evidence that a parent or caregiver may have committed an offence, the case may be referred to the Police and prosecution may be considered.”

The MSF spokesperson said it does not have consolidated data on the number of cases where parents or caregivers are charged or prosecuted for neglect.

Singapore Children’s Society senior director Gracia Goh said many of the parents the social service agency works with struggle with various problems, and this may limit their capacity to provide sufficient care for their children.

For example, they suffer from mental health conditions, may be taking drugs or have little or no family support. Some have also experienced abuse and neglect by their own parents when they were children.

Goh has seen toddlers who were left unsupervised and ended up being seriously injured, or came close to being severely injured.

She said: “When a child’s basic needs are neglected to the extent that the child is harmed or at risk of being harmed, it becomes a child protection concern.”

Theresa Tan is the senior social affairs correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers issues that affect families, youth and vulnerable groups.

Crimes against children/minors

这是从上方拍摄的环路市场和熟食中心的一个摊位，一名 15 岁的女孩在父亲的命令下，在这里住了至少 11 个月。

发布于2026年9月19日下午5:50

更新于2026年9月19日下午5:50

2022 年至 2024 年间，新加坡平均发生 539 起虐待儿童案件，涉及儿童被单独留下、疾病未得到治疗以及生活环境不安全等严重问题。

社会及家庭发展部 (MSF) 保护服务部门介入保护儿童，与家庭和社区伙伴合作；只有在无法确保安全的情况下，将儿童带离家庭才是最后的手段。

根据《儿童和青少年法》，父母可能面临起诉。社工表示，许多疏于照顾子女的父母自身存在心理健康问题、药物滥用或缺乏支持等情况，这影响了他们的照顾能力。

新加坡——2022 年至 2024 年间，平均每年有 539 起儿童被父母或监护人忽视的案件，这些案件的严重程度足以需要儿童保护服务机构 (PSV) 介入，以保障儿童的安全和福祉。

这些案例包括将婴儿或幼儿独自留在家中，或者父母不遵守孩子的医疗治疗方案，从而对孩子的健康造成不利影响。

在其他情况下，由于严重的囤积行为、过多的垃圾或鼠患，导致儿童的住所不安全、不卫生，从而生病、出现疮或皮疹。

无国界医生组织发言人告诉《海峡时报》，尽管社区机构努力介入，但这对父母的疏忽行为依然持续。儿童保护服务处（PSV）是无国界医生组织负责处理高风险虐待案件的部门。

发言人表示，如果父母或监护人故意或无理地未能或无法向孩子提供生活必需品，例如充足的食物、住所和照顾，则可能被视为疏忽照顾孩子。

无国界医生组织接到的其中一个案例是一名 15 岁的女孩，她在父亲的菜市场摊位上住了 11 个月，用桶解决大小便，而不是去厕所。

2024 年，国家环境局对环路市场和熟食中心进行例行检查时，发现这名女孩和她的父亲住在市场的小摊位上。

国家环境局通知了无国界医生组织，无国界医生组织随后将这名女孩安置在寄养家庭照顾下。

2025年，这位63岁的父亲被给予24个月的有条件警告，这意味着如果他在这段时间内再次犯罪，他可能会因最初的罪行而被起诉。

根据《儿童和青少年法》，虐待受其照顾的儿童，实施危及儿童安全的行为的人，可被判处最高八年监禁、最高 8000 美元罚款，或两者并罚。

9月10日，盛港集选区议员阿卜杜勒·穆海明·阿卜杜勒·马利克在国会提出质询，询问过去三年中有多少幼童在公共场所无人照看，并经评估需要照顾和保护。

他还询问，对于那些因疏忽大意而使孩子处于危险境地的父母或监护人，可以采取哪些措施。

社会及家庭发展部长马善高在书面答复中表示，社会及家庭发展部不追踪在公共场所发现并被认为需要照顾和保护的幼童人数。

但是，当警方怀疑此类案件可能涉及疏忽时，他们会将案件移交给无国界医生组织进行调查。

针对《海峡时报》的询问，社会及家庭发展部表示，大多数虐待儿童案件的报告都来自全国反暴力和性骚扰热线（NAVH），拨打热线电话的有警察、学校、医疗保健专业人员、社会服务机构、家庭成员和公众。

在这种情况下，确保儿童安全是无国界医生组织的首要任务。

该部门与家庭和社区伙伴合作，解决问题，并通过适当的支持和干预措施，帮助孩子在家中保持安全。

无国界医生组织发言人表示，将儿童从家中带走是最后的手段。只有当存在严重的安全隐患，且即使采取干预措施和安全计划也无法有效控制时，才会考虑采取这种做法。

在这种情况下，孩子可能会被安置在寄养家庭等其他照护机构，同时无国界医生组织会与家庭合作解决根本问题，直到认为孩子可以安全回家为止。

马萨戈斯在国会答复中表示：“如果有足够的证据表明父母或监护人可能犯了罪，案件可以移交警方，并考虑提起诉讼。”

无国界医生组织发言人表示，该组织没有关于父母或监护人因疏忽而被指控或起诉的案件数量的汇总数据。

新加坡儿童协会高级主任吴嘉欣表示，该社会服务机构服务的许多家长都面临着各种各样的问题，这可能会限制他们为子女提供足够照顾的能力。

例如，他们可能患有精神健康问题，可能吸毒，或者缺乏或几乎没有家庭支持。有些人童年时期还曾遭受父母的虐待和忽视。

吴先生曾见过一些无人看管的幼儿，结果受到重伤，或者差点受到重伤。

她说：“当儿童的基本需求被忽视到儿童受到伤害或面临受到伤害的风险时，这就构成了儿童保护问题。”

特蕾莎·谭是《海峡时报》的资深社会事务记者。她主要报道影响家庭、青年和弱势群体的问题。

侵害儿童/未成年人的犯罪