The Social Issue

The lack of awareness in family violence at societal and policy levels weakens the protection of victims.

Family violence causes issues such as divorce, impaired mental well-being, and maldevelopment in children. However, it can also be a consequence of poor mental health and dysfunctional backgrounds.

While the issues arising from violence are managed through social services, factors contributing to family violence and gaps in the law that restrict a victim’s attainment of protection should also be considered to reduce family violence and increase victims’ security.

Causes of

Family Violence

Family violence is the threatening, controlling behaviour within the family that consists of physical, verbal, sexual and psychological abuse (Ministry of Social and Family Development, n.d.).

1. Gender Stereotyping

Men are usually the perpetrators of family violence, as females form 90.6 per cent of domestic violence victims (Foo & Seow, 2005). The predominant gender in perpetrators of family violence can be attributed to the gender stereotyping of females.
Despite a 4.7 per cent increase in labor force participation from 2010 to 2020 (Department of Statistics Singapore, 2020), women are still looked down at, with a study reporting 57 per cent of respondents agreeing that men are the heads of households and make most of the families’ decisions (Association of Women for Action and Research, n.d.).
Men dominate women and are more likely to have greater authority when decision-making in economic and social aspects over women in households, perpetuating family violence.

2. Mental health of perpetrators

The perpetrator may have anger management issues, and possess mental health conditions, triggering the individual in situations.
For example, depression in men manifests as irritable behaviour, such as anger, abusive behaviour, and even risk-taking behaviour that includes substance abuse (Ogrodniczuk & Oliffe, 2011).
Addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling can affect an individual’s decision-making, and these activities require money to pay and continue.
- Especially if the family is financially strained, the perpetrator may turn aggressive towards family members when demanding money, increasing family violence cases.

Total Number of Domestic Victims

9.4%

90.6%

Females

Impacts of

Family Violence

Psychological Well-being

Abused women become fearful, anxious and develop low self-esteem from traumatic abuse (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, 2005).

Maladaptive coping mechanisms may be adopted, including alcohol consumption as self-medication (Wingood et al., 2000).

Divorces

Abused women are up to 5.7 times more likely to divorce (Bowlus & Seitz, 2006).

Presents a more severe implication to children subjected to abuse, as there is a lack of parental affection and care in crucial developmental years.

Children's development

Children exposed to family violence have difficulties socializing and less empathetic to others, and display aggressive and antisocial traits (Goh, 2011).

Youths who grow up in single-parent households are at greater risk of child delinquency, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and victimization (Eitle, 2005; Vanassche et al., 2014).

Negatively impacting the socialization of children due to inconducive environments at home.