How to support a person who could be experiencing family violence?

 

How to support a person/friend who could be experiencing family violence?

1. Notice and identify if there is sign/symptom of family violence.

2. Show that you care. Ask questions if needed to clarify.

3. Listen.

4. Point the person to resources to seek help.

If the person is NOT ready to seek help, show that you care, and find out what is a safe way to pass the information on the resources to the person for his/her future references.

Note: In event of immediate emergency (e.g. when the person experiencing family violence is at immediate risk of danger), please contact the police hotline for assistance as soon as possible.

Reflections that have led to the creation of this video:

Each of us deserves to respect and safety. While many of us take being respected and safe for granted, there are people who experience family violence and live in fear, even in their own homes, behind the closed doors, away from the eyes of the public. 

The issue of family violence is, however, not a new one. When the pandemic in 2020 started, many families experienced additional stress and conflict in having to juggle between familial duties and work commitments, amidst greater uncertainty, spending extended time at home and having lesser time out of their homes to get a breather. 5135 family violence cases were reported in Singapore in the year in 2020 (Source: The Straits Times, 21 Jan 2021). The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, said that there was a 10 percent rise in family violence cases every month between April and December in 2020. The figures could just be the tip of the iceberg. Many instances of family violence may have not been reported.

Realising that the issue of family violence cannot be tolerated and that people experiencing family violence needs support, I came up with a series of video on how to support a person who could be experiencing family violence. The videos were first produced in Mandarin to reach out the Mandarin-speaking audiences. 

I have subsequently created a shorter video in English on this topic. The videos were created to support members of the general public when they suspect that a loved one, a colleague, a friend or even another member of the public could be experiencing family violence.

Each of us can make a difference in our own way. 

It could take up to 3 minutes of your time to watch this video on how to lend support to someone experiencing family violence yet it could tip the balance to that someone's favour and save him/her from being hurt, emotionally and/or physically. 

Do watch the video now if you have not already done so.

Additional Resources:

• Helplines to call for assistance when experiencing family violence in Singapore:
• PAVE Integrated Services for Individual and Family Protection: 6555 0390
• TRANS SAFE Centre: 6449 9088
• Care Corner Project StART: 6476 1482
• Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre: 6445 0400
• HEART @ Fei Yue Child Protection Specialist Centre: 6819 9170
• ComCare hotline: 1800-222 0000
• The National CARE hotline: 1800-202-6868

• AWARE Singapore. Dealing with Family Violence.

• What to do if you know someone is experiencing family violence. These are helplines to call for assistance. (Gov.sg, 24 Jul 2020)

• In Singapore, the Taskforce on Family Violence was set up in February 2020 to develop a comprehensive understanding of the family violence landscape in Singapore, and to bring together various stakeholders to jointly develop recommendations. The report was subsequently made available in September 2021. If you are interested in the statistic, the family violence landscape or you are a professional supporting people experiencing family violence, you can read the report "Tackling Family Violence: Awareness. Prevention. Protection. Accountability." here: https://www.mha.gov.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/family-violence-taskforce-report.pdf 

• AWARE has produced a factsheet "Public perceptions and attitudes towards violence against women" based on results from a survey conducted between 2012 - 2013. 

If you are a social work professional and/or practitioner practising outside Singapore and know of resources in your locality that could support people who are experiencing family violence, please do share the resources by commenting in the comment section of this post. Thank you.