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SINGAPORE: The number of new high-risk child abuse cases in 2024 rose by 14.5 per cent from the year before, according to a report by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) published on Wednesday (Dec 10).
There were 2,303 new cases last year, compared with 2,011 cases reported in 2023.
A total of 3,292 low- to moderate-risk child abuse cases were reported in 2024, an 18 per cent increase from the 2,787 cases recorded the previous year. This was the biggest annual increase since 2022.
Low to moderate-risk cases are categorised by MSF as tier 1 cases that are overseen by community agencies such as child protection specialist centres and family service centres.
High-risk cases are known as tier 2 cases, which may warrant statutory intervention to keep the child safe, including removing the child from their home. These cases are overseen by MSF’s Protective Service (PSV).
If a case is overseen by both MSF and a community agency, it is reflected as a case each in both the tier 1 and tier 2 datasets. Therefore, the numbers cannot be added together to determine the total number of cases in a year, as that would count some cases twice.
TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES
The second edition of the Domestic Violence Trends report outlined key trends on child abuse, spousal abuse, elder abuse, vulnerable adult abuse and self-neglect cases.
There were a total of 5,787 new tier 1 abuse cases in 2024, a 14 per cent increase from the 5,092 cases reported in 2023. This rise was primarily driven by more child abuse and spousal abuse cases.
Similarly, total new tier 2 cases also increased by about 14 per cent in the same period – from 2,076 to 2,373 – driven primarily by a rise in child abuse cases.
The increase in both new tier 1 and 2 cases “reflects greater awareness and a growing willingness” by victims, their families and the public to report abuse, the ministry said in the second edition of its Domestic Violence Trends report.
“This has enabled more individuals to access support earlier, reducing the likelihood of cases remaining hidden or escalating in risk severity,” it added.
“Sustained awareness efforts, stronger legal protection, and comprehensive support services have likely contributed to this trend.
“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.”
HIGH-RISK CHILD ABUSE CASES
Child abuse cases formed the biggest proportion of the new cases in 2024.
The number of new tier 2 child abuse cases – or those that are high risk – had been trending downwards from 2021 to 2023, but it rose last year.
The increase in such cases was primarily driven by a rise in cases where physical abuse was the primary type of abuse – from 888 cases in 2023 to 1,171 in 2024.
There was also an increase in the number of tier 2 child abuse cases where sexual abuse was the primary type of abuse.
“Although sexual abuse cases increased in 2024, the total number remained lower compared to 2022,” said MSF in its report.
“In contrast, cases where emotional and psychological abuse or neglect were the primary types of abuse showed a decline.”
According to the report, the number of new tier 2 child abuse cases rose across all three age groups: zero to six, seven to 12, and 13 to 18.
Authorities reported 834 cases among children aged seven to 12, followed by 824 cases that involved children aged zero to six, and 645 cases involving those aged 13 to 18.
“Educating primary school students on personal safety and protection from abuse, and continued training and vigilance of professionals, could have contributed to more cases reported,” MSF said.
Despite the increase in tier 2 child abuse cases, the total number of children in out-of-home care declined from 1,509 in 2023 to 1,454 in 2024.
Children aged 13 to 18 years were the largest age group of those in out-of-home care, followed by those aged seven to 12 and zero to six.
“A possible reason for the decrease in out-of-home placement is the introduction and ramping up of safety checks by safety check officers in 2024, who assist protection officers through home visits and video calls to monitor the safety of children at home,” said MSF.
Overall, the incidence rate of new tier 2 cases rose to 2.8 per 1,000 children in 2024, up from 2.4 in 2023.
“This remained lower compared to other countries; for example, the incidence rate in Australia was 21 per 1,000 children in 2022 to 2023,” said MSF.
In response to CNA's queries, the ministry said there were no records of any child death cases from 2021 to 2024 where the child was under MSF Child Protective Service’s case management prior to the child’s death.
In that same period, around 10 per cent of tier 2 child abuse cases that the Protective Service investigated were court cases, MSF said.
Court cases refer to cases with a Care and Protection Order under the Children and Young Persons Act granted by the Youth Court.
“The increase in new tier 2 child abuse cases can be partly attributed to members of the public and schools being more vigilant in identifying and reporting more incidents involving potentially high safety and risk concerns, leading to more cases being uncovered,” the report said.
MSF told CNA that the number of reports to the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH) has risen – from 8,400 reports in 2021 to 11,100 in 2024.
The number of reports related to child abuse and neglect also went up in that period, from 2,200 to 4,500.
"Of the child-related reports that both NAVH and MSF received in 2024, about 17 per cent were escalated to MSF’s Protective Service and taken up as tier 2 child abuse cases," said the ministry.
Reports to the NAVH can be made through calls or the online reporting form. The online reporting form was launched in December 2022, and multiple reports may be made regarding the same household.
Preliminary data indicate that new tier 1 and 2 child abuse cases in the first half of 2025 were lower compared to the same period in 2024.
However, there was an uptick in new tier 2 child abuse cases in October 2025 compared with the earlier months of the year.
MSF said that it observed an increase in new cases referred to the ministry in the initial weeks after a report into the death of four-year-old Megan Khung was released on Oct 23.
"Given that one of the main referral sources was the public, Megan’s case that attracted widespread coverage likely contributed to the uptick," the ministry said.
SPOUSAL ABUSE
New spousal abuse cases rose from 2,008 cases in 2023 to 2,136 cases in 2024, continuing the upward trend, MSF said in its report.
The ministry noted that self-referrals constituted a “significant proportion” of cases managed by family service centres, where clients sought help on their own.
“While some were seeking support primarily related to domestic violence, others initially presented with issues such as financial difficulties or parenting challenges, with abuse concerns emerging after the family service centres' engagement with the clients,” MSF said.
Family service centres and protection specialist centres also observed an increase in referrals from the police and the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT), which was launched in April 2023.
In terms of personal protection orders between 2021 and 2024, about 75 per cent of applicants were women, said MSF in response to CNA's queries.
"While fewer men sought help, this does not mean that men do not experience abuse. Some may find it harder to recognise or speak about their experiences because of stigma or societal expectations," it added.
ELDER ABUSE
The number of new tier 1 elder abuse cases increased from 297 cases in 2023 to 359 cases in 2024, continuing the upward trend from 2021.
This increase could be partly attributed to an ageing society, alongside greater awareness of abuse involving elderly persons, MSF said.
New tier 2 elderly vulnerable adult abuse cases continued on the downward trend, falling from 42 in 2023 to 38 in 2024.
A vulnerable elderly adult is defined as a person aged 65 and above who, due to mental or physical infirmity, disability or incapacity, is unable to protect himself or herself from abuse, neglect or self-neglect.
“The decrease may be attributed to community, eldercare and healthcare agencies working with elderly vulnerable adults and their families to address the root causes of abuse or neglect, thereby preventing cases from escalating in risk,” MSF said.
Of the 38 new tier 2 cases last year, 17 were attributed to neglect, 14 to physical abuse, four to emotional and psychological abuse, and three to sexual abuse.
The incidence rate of new tier 2 elderly vulnerable adult abuse cases has decreased to 0.4 per 1,000 vulnerable elderly, from 0.5 in 2023.
NON-ELDERLY VULNERABLE ADULT ABUSE
The report also detailed abuse cases involving non-elderly vulnerable adults.
These are adults aged 18 to 64 years who have disabilities or impairments that prevent them from protecting themselves. They are protected under the Vulnerable Adults Act, and MSF’s Protective Service oversees these cases.
New tier 2 non-elderly vulnerable adult abuse cases increased to 32 cases in 2024 from 23 cases in 2023, after a downward trend from 2021 to 2023.
Of the 32 cases, 13 were attributed to physical abuse, 12 to neglect, six to sexual abuse and one to emotional and psychological abuse.
The number of new tier 2 vulnerable adult self-neglect cases continued to decline, from 28 cases in 2023 to 14 cases in 2024.
Such cases are defined as ones where vulnerable adults are living in "extremely unsanitary or hazardous conditions", suffer from malnutrition or dehydration, or endure untreated physical or mental illness or injury.
“These vulnerable adults are unable to perform essential tasks of daily living or care for themselves, which impacts their safety and well-being,” said MSF.
The decrease may be attributed to improved community support for individuals at risk of self-neglect, MSF said.
Such initiatives include home-based services like Meals-on-Wheels and Home Personal Care, which provide vulnerable individuals with meal deliveries and assistance with personal care.
In both 2023 and 2024, elderly vulnerable adults formed the majority of the new tier 2 self-neglect cases.
“MSF will continue to work with community agencies to stay vigilant to detect and respond to early signs of self-neglect,” the ministry said.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, contact the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline at 1800-777-0000 or report it online.
