Women’s Charter (Family Violence) Rules 2024

No. S 900

Women’s Charter 1961

Women’s Charter
(Family Violence) Rules 2024

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 180 of the Women’s Charter 1961, the Minister for Social and Family Development makes the following Rules:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Rules are the Women’s Charter (Family Violence) Rules 2024 and come into operation on 2 January 2025.

Definitions

2.  In these Rules —

“approved welfare officer” means a person authorised under section 65(2)(b);

“auxiliary police officer” means an auxiliary police officer appointed under Part 9 of the Police Force Act 2004;

“charity” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Charities Act 1994;

“home” has the meaning given by section 58(1);

“paramedic” includes —

(a) a member of the Singapore Civil Defence Force raised and maintained under the Civil Defence Act 1986 who is a paramedic;

(b) an ambulance paramedic as defined by regulation 9(8) of the Healthcare Services (Emergency Ambulance Service and Medical Transport Service) Regulations 2022 (G.N. No. S 2/2022); and

(c) an emergency medical technician as defined by regulation 9(8) of the Healthcare Services (Emergency Ambulance Service and Medical Transport Service) Regulations 2022;

“protector”, in the context of any provision of these Rules, includes an approved welfare officer who is authorised to exercise the functions of a protector in that context;

“psychiatrist” means a medical practitioner who is registered as a psychiatrist in the Register of Specialists under the Medical Registration Act 1997;

“registered medical practitioner” has the meaning given by section 2(1) of the Medical Registration Act 1997;

“registered nurse” has the meaning given by section 2 of the Nurses and Midwives Act 1999;

“section” means a section of the Act;

“social service worker” means an individual providing a social service to the public —

(a) on behalf of, or with full or partial funding from, any of the following entities:

(i) the Government;

(ii) the National Council of Social Service established by the National Council of Social Service Act 1992;

(iii) KidSTART Singapore Ltd.;

(iv) SG Enable Ltd.; or

(b) with the permission of or under a contract with —

(i) any of the entities mentioned in paragraph (a); or

(ii) a social service organisation that receives full or partial funding from any of the entities mentioned in paragraph (a) to carry out a social service programme that includes that service;

“staff”, in relation to an organisation (including a charity), includes —

(a) the owner or proprietor of the organisation;

(b) an employee of the organisation; and

(c) a person engaged by the organisation under a contract for services.

Persons who may receive family violence notifications under section 59D

3.  For the purposes of section 59D(1)(d), the following classes of persons are prescribed:

(a) public officers;

(b) the operators of —

(i) the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline at 1800‑777‑0000;

(ii) the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment website at https://go.gov.sg/navh; or

(iii) any other means established by the Government for reporting family violence;

(c) the staff of, or volunteers with, any organisation or person that is a Council member as defined by section 2 of the National Council of Social Service Act 1992, but only if the organisation or person provides services related to family violence;

(d) the staff of, or volunteers with, a charity, but only if the charity provides services related to family violence;

(e) the staff of, or volunteers with, an organisation that provides —

(i) education;

(ii) childcare, infant care or student care;

(iii) healthcare; or

(iv) social services.

Persons who may make or receive disclosures of information under section 59E

4.  For the purposes of section 59E(4)(d), the following classes of persons are prescribed:

(a) public officers;

(b) the operators of —

(i) the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline at 1800‑777‑0000;

(ii) the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment website at https://go.gov.sg/navh; or

(iii) any other means established by the Government for reporting family violence;

(c) the staff of, or volunteers with, any organisation or person that is a Council member as defined by section 2 of the National Council of Social Service Act 1992, but only if the organisation or person provides services related to family violence;

(d) the staff of, or volunteers with, a charity, but only if the charity provides services related to family violence;

(e) the staff of, or volunteers with, an organisation that provides —

(i) education;

(ii) childcare, infant care or student care;

(iii) healthcare; or

(iv) social services.

Prescribed electronic monitoring arrangements, etc., under section 60C

5.—(1)  For the purposes of section 60C(2), the court may require X to comply with arrangement A or arrangement B or both.

(2)  For the purposes of section 60C(3), the court may direct Y or an authorised person or both of them to give effect to arrangement A or arrangement B or both.

(3)  Under arrangement A (monitoring using wearable device only) —

(a) an authorised person must issue X with a wearable electronic monitoring device, and for this purpose X must attend at the time and place specified by the authorised person;

(b) X must wear the device at the times and in the manner specified by an authorised person;

(c) X must comply with any requirement specified by an authorised person to ensure the proper functioning of the device;

(d) X must comply with any requirement specified by an authorised person to support the electronic monitoring of X’s whereabouts by the device;

(e) X must not obstruct the monitoring of X’s whereabouts by the device (whether by tampering with the device or otherwise);

(f) X must immediately inform an authorised person if the device malfunctions or is damaged, destroyed or lost;

(g) X must return the device at the time and place specified by an authorised person; and

(h) Y must not obstruct the monitoring of X’s whereabouts by the device (whether by tampering with the device or otherwise).

Example of wearable device under arrangement A

     A wearable device that can be located using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

(4)  Under arrangement B (monitoring using wearable device and fixed device) —

(a) an authorised person must —

(i) install a fixed electronic monitoring device (called the fixed device) at Y’s home or any other place that the protector considers appropriate; and

(ii) issue X with a wearable electronic monitoring device (called the wearable device), and for this purpose X must attend at the time and place specified by the authorised person;

(b) X must give any necessary permission for an authorised person to install, maintain, repair or retrieve the fixed device;

(c) X must wear the wearable device at the times and in the manner specified by an authorised person;

(d) X must comply with any requirement specified by an authorised person to ensure the proper functioning of the wearable device;

(e) X must comply with any requirement specified by an authorised person to support the electronic monitoring of X’s whereabouts by both devices;

(f) X must not obstruct the monitoring of X’s whereabouts by both devices (whether by tampering with the devices or otherwise);

(g) X must immediately inform an authorised person if the wearable device malfunctions or is damaged, destroyed or lost;

(h) X must return the wearable device at the time and place specified by an authorised person;

(i) Y must give any necessary permission for an authorised person to install, maintain, repair or retrieve the fixed device;

(j) Y must comply with any requirement specified by an authorised person to ensure the proper functioning of the fixed device;

(k) Y must comply with any requirement specified by an authorised person to support the electronic monitoring of X’s whereabouts by both devices;

(l) Y must not obstruct the monitoring of X’s whereabouts by both devices (whether by tampering with the devices or otherwise); and

(m) Y must immediately inform an authorised person if the fixed device malfunctions or is damaged, destroyed or lost.

Example of wearable device and fixed device under arrangement B

     A wearable radio frequency tag that transmits to a home monitoring unit that is fixed at Y’s home.

(5)  In this rule —

“authorised person” means a protector or a person acting under the general or specific directions of a protector;

“electronic monitoring device” means a device that, by itself or together with any other device, may be used to monitor a person’s whereabouts through electronic means.

Prescribed matters for mandatory treatment orders under section 60F

6.  For the purposes of section 60F(19)(b), a public hospital is a prescribed place.

Form of emergency orders under section 62

7.  For the purposes of section 62(3), an emergency order must —

(a) be in writing;

(b) state the name and identity number of X and Y;

(c) explain what the emergency order requires of X;

(d) if a domestic exclusion order, stay away order or no contact order is included in the emergency order — state and explain the order (including, where applicable, the place to which the order applies);

(e) state the grounds for making the emergency order;

(f) state that the emergency order takes effect upon service and has effect for 14 days in the first instance;

(g) state the consequences of contravening the emergency order;

(h) state the date on which and the time at which the emergency order is made; and

(i) state the name and designation of the person making the emergency order.

Service of emergency orders under section 62B

8.  For the purposes of section 62B(3)(b), an emergency order may be served by affixing the order at or to the main entrance of X’s home.

Cases where Director-General’s approval not required for publishing identifying information under section 63B

9.  For the purposes of section 63B(3), the Director‑General’s approval is not required to publish or broadcast identifying information in relation to a person if a protector has not —

(a) exercised any power under Division 2 of Part 7 of the Act in relation to family violence against the person;

(b) applied for the court to make, vary, suspend or revoke any order under Division 3 or 4 of Part 7 of the Act in relation to family violence against the person;

(c) made an emergency order under section 62(1) in relation to family violence against the person; or

(d) made an application under section 63B in relation to a publication or broadcast that contains identifying information about the person.

Prescribed persons under section 65

10.  For the purposes of section 65(7), the following classes of persons are prescribed as support persons:

(a) allied health professionals;

(b) approved welfare officers;

(c) auxiliary police officers;

(d) counsellors;

(e) paramedics;

(f) persons who are acting under the general or specific directions of a protector for the purposes of the definition of “authorised person” in rule 5(5);

(g) police officers;

(h) psychiatrists;

(i) psychologists;

(j) public officers;

(k) registered medical practitioners;

(l) registered nurses;

(m) social service workers;

(n) the staff of, or volunteers with, any organisation or person that is a Council member as defined by section 2 of the National Council of Social Service Act 1992, but only if the organisation or person provides services to persons who are at risk of family violence;

(o) the staff of, or volunteers with, a charity, but only if the charity provides services to persons who are at risk of family violence.

Transitional provisions

11.—(1)  An existing order in force immediately before 2 January 2025 —

(a) is deemed, from that date, to be the equivalent order made on the same terms; and

(b) may be varied, suspended or revoked accordingly.

(2)  If —

(a) an application for an existing order is pending immediately before 2 January 2025; and

(b) on or after that date, an existing order is made in the application,

the existing order is deemed, from the time it is made, to be the equivalent order.

(3)  An existing order that is deemed by this rule to be a counselling order under section 60E(2) —

(a) must not be extended beyond 2 January 2028; and

(b) ceases to have effect on that date unless —

(i) the court revokes the order on an earlier date;

(ii) the court specifies an earlier date on which the order will cease to have effect; or

(iii) the court specifies that the order has effect for a specified period which ends on an earlier date.

(4)  For the purposes of this rule, the existing orders and their equivalent orders are as follows:

Existing order	Equivalent order
(1) Protection order under section 65 in force before 2 January 2025	Protection order under section 60A
(2) Order under section 65(5)(a) in force before 2 January 2025, made as part of a protection order	Domestic exclusion order under section 60B(2)(a)
(3) Order under section 65(5)(b) in force before 2 January 2025, made as part of a protection order	Counselling order under section 60E(2)
(4) Expedited order under section 66(1) in force before 2 January 2025	Expedited order under section 61(2)
(5) Order under section 65(5)(a) in force before 2 January 2025, made as part of an expedited order	Domestic exclusion order under section 61A(2)(a)

Made on 13 November 2024.

AUBECK KAM

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Social and Family Development,
Singapore.

[R&P - L/C/P - (RPR) AP&FV - WC; AG/LEGIS/SL/353/2020/13]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 180(2)(a) of the Women’s Charter 1961).