In 2021, the number of child abuse cases investigated by authorities increased significantly.
This follows a spike in 2020, when the Ministry of Social and Family Development reported the largest number of cases in a decade.
In 2021, the MSF's Child Protective Service (CPS) investigated 2,141 incidents of abuse, a 63% increase over the 1,313 cases handled in 2020.
Neglect cases accounted for the majority of investigations in 2021, more than tripling from 375 instances in 2020. Neglect cases include those in which children have been subjected to inadequate supervision, emotional abuse, or medical neglect.
Mr Desmurn Lim, director of the charity Montfort Care's Big Love program, recently told The Straits Times that some neglected and underfed youngsters harm themselves while attempting to do tasks or prepare meals for themselves.
Cases of child sexual abuse also increased 70%, from 261 in 2020 to 443 in 2021, an 11-year high.
Physical abuse incidents increased by 16%, from 677 in 2020 to 788 in 2021.
MSF stated that more instances were examined as a result of increased referrals from CPS's community partners, which included family assistance centers, schools, and child protection specialist centers.
CPS is responsible for more serious instances, such as when parents fail to provide appropriate food, clothes, or medical care for their children, or inflict major damage on them intentionally.
The number of enquiries received by CPS also climbed by 25% year over year, albeit these calls may not include actual instances of violence.
This rise was attributed mostly to increased communication efforts and public awareness of family violence, according to MSF. More individuals are phoning the National Anti-Violence Helpline at 1800-777-0000, a 24-hour hotline for reporting family violence, abuse, and neglect.
Ms Shailey Hingorani, the Association of Women for Action and Research's (Aware) head of research and advocacy, stated that in 2021, its sexual assault treatment center witnessed 18% of 856 instances in which the victim was sexually abused as a juvenile - under the age of sixteen.
The center's ratio of child sexual abuse cases has been relatively stable over the last five years, hovering between 15% and 20% of overall cases, she added.
She stated that the instances include adults seeking assistance for traumatic childhood experiences.
"The increase in numbers underscores the critical nature of comprehensive sexual education," she added, citing examples of child sexual abuse survivors discovering they were receiving incorrect treatment only after enrolling in school-based sexuality education programs.
"This demonstrates how we might be able to both expose and prevent child sexual abuse."
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