More Domestic Violence Cases in 2024; MSF Calls for Greater Vigilance During Year-end Period

1. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has released the Domestic Violence Trends Report 2025, covering trends from 2021 to 2024. Similar to the 2024 Report, cases are presented by Tier 1 (low- to moderate-risk cases, overseen by community agencies) and Tier 2 (high-risk cases, overseen by MSF’s Protective Service (PSV) which require statutory intervention).¹

Increase in overall reported cases of domestic violence in 2024

2. From 2023 to 2024, the total number of new Tier 1 cases and Tier 2 cases increased by about 14%. This upward trend was driven primarily by increases in child abuse and spousal abuse cases. Conversely, new Tier 2 elderly Vulnerable Adult abuse cases decreased by about 10% and new Tier 2 Vulnerable Adult self-neglect cases decreased by 50% from 2023 to 2024.
3. The key trends are as follows:
   • Child abuse. New Tier 1 child abuse cases increased from 2,787 cases in 2023 to 3,292 cases in 2024, and new Tier 2 child abuse cases increased from 2,011 cases in 2023 to 2,303 cases in 2024. For both Tier 1 and Tier 2 cases, the number of cases involving children aged 7-12 years was the largest contributor to the overall increase. Educating primary school students on personal safety, public education, and continued training and vigilance of professionals could have contributed to more cases reported. The overall incidence rate of new Tier 2 child abuse cases in 2024 remained relatively low, at under 3 per 1,000 children.
   • Spousal abuse. New spousal abuse cases increased from 2,008 cases in 2023 to 2,136 cases in 2024, continuing the upward trend observed from 2021 to 2023. Self-referrals constituted a significant proportion of cases managed by Family Service Centres (FSCs), showing willingness by clients to seek support. FSCs and Protection Specialist Centres (PSCs) also observed an increase in referrals from the Police and the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT).
   • Elder abuse. New Tier 1 elder abuse cases continued to rise and increased from 297 cases in 2023 to 359 cases in 2024, continuing the upward trend observed from 2021 to 2023. The overall increase was driven by a rise in cases seen by FSCs and could be partly attributed to an ageing society, alongside greater awareness of abuse involving elderly persons.
   • Vulnerable Adult abuse and self-neglect. New Tier 2 elderly Vulnerable Adult abuse cases have been steadily declining from 2021 to 2024, with 38 cases reported in 2024, down from 42 cases in 2023. In contrast, new Tier 2 non-elderly Vulnerable Adult abuse cases saw a slight increase from 23 cases in 2023 to 32 cases in 2024. New Tier 2 Vulnerable Adult self-neglect cases continued to decrease, from 28 cases in 2023 to 14 cases in 2024. Incidence rates for Vulnerable Adult abuse and self-neglect remain low.
4. The full report can be found at: https://go.gov.sg/msfdvreport2025.

Preliminary indication of new domestic violence cases in 2025

5. Preliminary data indicates that new Tier 1 and 2 child abuse cases in the first half of 2025 were lower compared to the same period in 2024. That said, we have observed an uptick in new Tier 2 child abuse cases in October 2025 compared to earlier months in 2025.
6. New spousal abuse cases, Tier 1 elder abuse cases, Tier 2 elderly Vulnerable Adult abuse cases and Vulnerable Adult self-neglect cases in the first half of 2025 were higher compared to the same period in 2024.
7. Reported cases are expected to remain elevated in the medium term, in line with ongoing improvements in detection and reporting, before stabilising over the longer term.
8. With children away from school during the year-end school holiday period, we seek family members, neighbours, community partners and the public’s assistance to stay vigilant and look out for signs of child abuse in the community. Together, by staying alert and offering support to those around us, we can help protect those at risk of abuse. To report child abuse or domestic violence, call the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH) at 1800-777-0000.

Strengthening protection and support to tackle domestic violence

9. We have made significant progress in our fight against domestic violence in the past few years.

• Expanded legal protections: Amendments were made to the Women’s Charter in 2023, which came into force in January 2025. The amendments empowered victim-survivors to better protect themselves, strengthened the Government’s ability to intervene effectively in family violence cases and enabled the Courts to issue additional rehabilitative orders. The legislative amendments clarified that the definition of family violence covers physical, sexual, and emotional or psychological abuse. With the legislative changes, the Courts can issue a Stay Away Order or a No Contact Order to prohibit perpetrators from visiting or communicating with victim-survivors. The penalties for breaches of court orders in family violence cases were also raised, and provisions for enforcement of such orders strengthened.
• 24-hour Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT): The DVERT was launched in 2023 to respond jointly with the Police to domestic violence cases with immediate safety concerns to the victim-survivor. Since January 2025, the DVERT has been empowered to issue Emergency Orders (EORs) on site in high-risk cases where there is imminent danger to allow victim-survivors time to apply for a Personal Protection Order. The EOR restrains perpetrators from committing further violence and may also include a Domestic Exclusion Order, a Stay Away Order, and/or a No Contact Order. The EOR and accompanying orders provide immediate protection for victim-survivors while social service professionals continue working with them and their families to ensure their safety in the long term.
• Domestic violence screening tools: MSF launched a suite of domestic violence screening and reporting tools for frontline professionals to provide clarity and establish a common language for more consistent and effective case identification and referrals. These tools have been customised for specific groups (e.g. Vulnerable Adults, other forms of domestic violence including spousal violence) to facilitate more accurate screening. We are progressively rolling out these tools to frontline professionals.
• Increasing public awareness: MSF has been investing in public education to tackle domestic violence. Since 2020, more than 11,000 people in various sectors have undergone the Domestic Violence Awareness Training, to learn how to spot and report signs of domestic violence. The “Break the Silence” campaign raises public awareness of the different types of abuse, including non-physical abuse, and encourages victim-survivors and bystanders to seek help by calling the NAVH. Early detection helps to identify cases before they escalate into high safety and risk concerns.

10. MSF will redouble our preventive efforts to address domestic violence risks upstream. We are studying the use of analytic tools and technology to help connect the dots and see trends across agencies, enabling more targeted preventive initiatives. In areas with higher incidences of domestic violence, we will expand community efforts  to raise awareness and co-create solutions to tackle domestic violence.