To protect and advance women and girls’ rights, the Women’s Charter Act (Cap 353, Rev Ed. 2009) was passed in Singapore in 1961.
Brings together the regulation of the relationship between husband and wife and between parents and their children, the termination of marriages and division of matrimonial assets (Singapore Council of Women’s Organizations, n.d.).
Provides protection against family violence and the penalty for offences against women and girls
- Section 65 of the Women’s Charter: family members who are victims can file for a Personal Protection Order (PPO) to restrain the abuser from using family violence against the family member.

The Women's Charter

Personal Protection Order: A Case Study

Public Prosecutor v Satesh s/o Navarlan (2019)

The respondent had an alcohol addiction for more than ten years and was subjected to a PPO issued on 18 September 2014 to protect his wife, the appellant.

On 1 February 2018, the respondent was intoxicated when he physically abused the appellant, contravening the PPO issued in 2014.

He pleaded guilty to section 65(8) of the Woman’s Charter and section 323 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt.

Following the ordeal, the victim sought refuge at a community shelter with her daughter instead of returning home and filed for a divorce one week after the assault.

This case reflected how perpetrators’ poor mental health contributed to family violence, where the abuser had an alcohol addiction, affecting his relationship with his wife.

The perpetrator violated the PPO, triggering the wife to leave home with her daughter and file for a divorce as the long-term history of spousal abuse and her husband’s alcohol addiction threatened the family’s security and peace.

How the law supports victims & perpetrators

Section 65(5)(b) of the Women’s Charter: PPOs are accompanied by mandatory counselling for perpetrators and victims.

Mandatory counselling aims to stop family abuse by supporting perpetrators in adopting alternative methods to deal with negative emotions (Ministry of Social and Family Development, n.d.).
Victims also learn about safety plans in violence and communications training to facilitate positive interactions within the household.
Allows perpetrators to explore the root causes of family violence, such as anger management and family background, and increase victims’ protection through education.
- The law adopts a problem-solving approach as mandatory programs and schemes target the root causes of family violence, working towards reducing future family violence.

Other schemes: Home Team Community Assistance and Referral Scheme (HT CARES)

The police refer family violence offenders to social workers who assess if social intervention, such as mental health and financial assistance, is required for the offender (Ong, 2018).