With effect from 2 January 2025, the Women’s Charter explicitly recognizes emotional and psychological abuse as family violence, expanding the definition of family violence beyond physical abuse and continual harassment.
Coercive Control
Unlike physical injuries or verbal threats of violence, emotional and psychological abuse (sometimes referred to as ‘coercive control’) is aimed at instilling fear and isolating victims from their support systems. Coercive control strips victims of their autonomy, freedom and sense of self. Examples include:
- Manipulation, control, humiliation, and threats of personal harm or harm to other family members;
- Exerting control over every aspect of a family member’s life, such as where a victim can go, who they can see, or what they can wear;
- Making demands regarding the frequency of sexual relations and the types of that the victim may not be comfortable with;
- Monitoring the victim’s time and activities through online communication tools or spyware;
- Gaslighting and denying the victim’s reality when confronted with their coercive behavior; or
- Depriving the victim of their financial autonomy by preventing access to funds, refusing to discuss household financial matters or demanding that the victim hand over his/her income.
While it remains to be seen how the Courts will assess evidence of coercive control, it is heartening to know that victims suffering these subtle forms of abuse will now be afforded protection under the law.
New Protective Measures for Victims
The new family violence amendments also introduce broader protective measures, in addition to the existing Personal Protection Order (PPO) and Domestic Exclusion Order (DEO) framework:
- Stay Away Order, preventing perpetrators from entering or remaining in locations frequented by the victim; and
- No Contact Order, preventing the perpetrator from communicating with the survivor.
Victims, their family members, appointed Protectors or approved welfare officers by the Ministry of Social and Family Development may also contact the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT), which has been rolled out in all Police divisions nationwide. The DVERT team will make immediate social assessments for victims, which may include Emergency Orders to restrain perpetrators from committing family violence on the spot. First introduced in April 2023, this has strengthened emergency responses in high-risk family violence cases.
Rehabilitation through Mandatory Treatment Orders
Recognizing that the family violence cycle present in the family may result from psychiatric conditions, the new amendments also seek to address these mental health challenges through Mandatory Treatment Orders that require perpetrators to undergo psychiatric treatment for a specified period.
By recognizing non-physical forms of abuse, the latest amendments acknowledge the significant yet often invisible scars that may be caused by emotional and psychological abuse. The new amendments also validate the experiences of abuse survivors and empower them with additional legal avenues to protect themselves in more practical ways.
If you or a person whom you know is experiencing family violence and would like to understand the available protections and remedies under the law, please schedule a Consultation with our lawyers today.
If you or a family member is in immediate need of assistance, please contact the Police or the National Anti-Violence Hotline 1800-777-0000.