Government to review punishments for sexual offences: K Shanmugam
The Singapore government is reviewing the existing punishment regime for sexual offences and is also looking into new offences to address sexual crimes that target women and children on the Internet, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Monday (27 November).
“I hope to also re-look at issues surrounding marital rape, which at present is an offence only under limited circumstances. We made some amendments in 2007. We will see if more can be done,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has in recent years focused on helping women who have been sexually assaulted, such as by making it easier for victims to make reports and ensuring that they medically examined in a safe space, said the minister.
“Next year, we will move to deal with how women (amongst others) can be cross examined, in sexual assault cases, how they can give evidence in court from a safe space, and some other changes,” Shanmugam added.
His announcement was made in conjunction with the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” international campaign, which began on Saturday (25 November).
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