2.1 Are there civil and criminal legal remedies for domestic violence victims?
Yes.
- Civil liability: Violent acts (assault and battery) can form the basis of an action in tort (common law), as well as a statutory tort action under Section 11 of the PHA.
- Criminal liability: Under the Penal Code, the PHA, the Women's Charter and the Children and Young Persons Act.
However, there is currently no standalone tort or criminal offense in Singapore specifically for domestic violence.
2.2 Is domestic violence identified in national law as a human right (noting that at a European level protection from domestic violence has not been explicitly identified as a human right but is indirectly captured by the other provisions)?
Yes, under the Women's Charter Part VII (amended in 1996), the PHA, the CYPA and the Penal Code.
2.3 Has your country signed and ratified the conventions?
Yes, Singapore ratified the CEDAW in 1995.
2.4 If it has ratified the Maputo Protocol, how has it been implemented into national law (African Union member states only)?
N/A. The Maputo Protocol is applicable only to African Union member states.
2.5 If it has ratified the 1979 Convention (CEDAW), how has the recommendations part of General Comment No. 35 been implemented into national law?
The recommendations part has been implemented into national law in the following ways:
- introducing an amendment to the Women's Charter in 1996, to give effect to some of the proposals in the Family Violence Bill (which was not passed)
- establishing the specialist family court on 1 March 1995
- developing infrastructure to support domestic violence victims, e.g., social service agencies and crisis shelters.