SPF Sexual Crime Awareness Seminar 2024 – Opening Address by Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development

Introduction

1. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. April marks the international Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This annual seminar brings together the Police and stakeholders to discuss how we can improve our handling of sexual crime cases.

Tackling Youth Sexual Offending

2. This year’s seminar focuses on Youth Sexual Offending (YSO). Preventing Youth Sexual Offending was one of the focus areas of the National Committee on Prevention, Rehabilitation and Recidivism (NCPR). The NCPR was set up in 2018, and oversees national efforts to prevent offending and re-offending.

3. Today, sexual crime remains among the top crimes of concern for youth offenders. In 2023, more than 470 youths, aged 19 and below, were arrested for sexual crimes. This was an increase of about 30%, compared to the previous year.

4. We recognise that shifting societal attitudes among youths towards sexual behaviour, is an upstream cause of this trend. Studies have identified some contributing factors to youth sexual offending, including: (1) early and repeated exposure to sexually explicit materials or adult sexual activity, and (2) inappropriate or inaccurate information about sexual behaviours and relationships.

5. We have strict laws that protect our young. In 2021, we amended the Penal Code to increase the penalties for three sexual offences, including causing a minor to view a sexual image, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a minor. Our laws also take a balanced approach towards youth offending. In 2019, the Criminal Law Reform Act was passed to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years old, to strike a balance between protection of the public and fairness to young children who may not be able to understand the consequences of their actions.

New Initiatives

Legislation

6. We have been further strengthening our laws to better deal with sexual crime.

7. Most recently, we established a legislative framework for conducting Forensic Medical Examinations (FMEs) – under the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act , which was passed in February 2024. FMEs broadly consist of physical medical examinations, collection of body samples, and taking photographs of body parts. The framework has two key aspects.

(a) First , we set out safeguards to ensure that FMEs are conducted safely and sensitively. For example, only qualified medical professionals can conduct physical medical examinations and invasive medical procedures.

(b) Second , we take a differentiated approach towards the requirement of consent for accused persons and victims.

8. The new legislative framework empowers the Police to secure valuable forensic evidence in the investigation of serious sexual offences and other major crimes, while ensuring the safety and dignity of victims. This is especially important when victims are minors and they are more vulnerable and need more support through and beyond the investigation process. The framework will thus ensure that the requisite consent will be obtained for forensic medical examinations to be conducted on victims who are minors.

9. Apart from legislative changes, we are also ramping up crime prevention efforts to tackle youth sexual offending. The Police, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are working with stakeholders in two key areas.

10. First , we will improve training for counsellors who work with children and youths. The MHA and MOE are developing a resource package to train counsellors in schools and in the community to recognise early signs of harmful sexual behaviours in children and youths. The training will enable the counsellors to better engage children and youths on such topics, facilitating early intervention. The resource package will be made available in the second half of 2024.

11. Second , we are also educating our youths to better protect themselves.

(a) The Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum in our schools equips students with the socio-emotional skills to understand themselves, maintain healthy relationships, and make responsible decisions on sexuality matters. Students are taught to apply these skills to support their growth and development in an age-appropriate manner.

(b) The Police complement educators’ efforts by delivering school talks on sexual crime prevention, to students in secondary schools, junior colleges, and Millenia Institute. These school talks will augment the current curriculum and seek to increase understanding of personal safety and respect for boundaries amongst youths.

Improving Victim Care

12. In addition to crime prevention, the Police will do more to enhance victim care for sexual crime victims, working closely with community partners. This is being done in two areas.

13. First , we are strengthening our victim care capabilities.

(a) Currently, under the Victim Care Cadre Programme (VCCP), trained volunteers known as Victim Care Officers (VCOs) offer practical and emotional support to victims while investigations are ongoing.

(b) The Police are piloting a collaboration with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to tap on the expertise of students pursuing their Master’s in Forensic Psychology. Since last month, these students have been called upon to respond to activations for victim care services. They participate in and pass the same recruitment and training process that VCOs undergo, to ensure that they are adequately trained to be able to provide emotional support. This initiative improves response capabilities by increasing the available pool of VCOs, and also allows these students to apply their training.

(c) One such student in the programme is Ms Foo Wen Ning Charmaine, a Year 2 Master’s student. Charmaine is a clinical counsellor, working with mothers struggling with mental health and children at risk of suicide. She joined the Victim Care Cadre Programme because she wants to be present for people who may feel anxious about going through investigative processes. She believes that there is much value in supporting victims of crime across all levels, from direct work to policy and systemic change.

14. Second , we will provide more support for young victims of sexual crime.

(a) Young victims are particularly vulnerable, and some of them may require continued support even after the Police case has concluded. The Police are working with community partners (such as Protection Specialist Centres) to explore a structured referral process for more young victims to receive longer-term care. The new process will allow the Police to link young victims up with partner agencies directly, upon completion of investigations. The partner agencies can then follow up with the young victims and provide them with longer-term support and intervention as required.

(b) We are also continuing to push forward on the expansion of Multi-Disciplinary Interviews (MDI) for young victims. MDI combines forensic examination with investigative interviewing, to streamline investigations and minimise any re-traumatisation that victims may experience. We previously announced that Police and stakeholders are in discussions to expand the eligibility criteria for MDI, so that more young victims can benefit. Discussions are still ongoing, and we are working closely with our partners to firm up the expanded criteria.

Updates on Previous Initiatives

15. The Police have continued to make enhancements to better serve sexual crime victims. Last year, the Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam, spoke about the Police’s initiatives to improve their processes and infrastructure. Two initiatives have been fully implemented. Later, we will be doing a tour around the premises to look at the new options that are available to us.

16. I am sure that after watching the video, we can see how important it is that we support our victims of sexual crime, particularly those who are minors. I’m pleased to highlight two initiatives which have been fully implemented.

17. First , there is now a “Sexual Crime Report” option in the queue management kiosks at all Neigbourhood Police Centres (NPCs). Instead of getting a queue number, persons reporting sexual crimes will be given priority and brought to a private area to lodge their report. This lowers the barriers for victims to come forward.

18. Second , the redesigned One-Stop Abuse Forensic Examination (OneSAFE) Centre is now fully operational. The improved Centre features a dedicated victim care area, and an expanded capacity of two new medical rooms. This provides victims with more comfort and privacy during the investigation process.

Conclusion

19. To conclude, all of us, parents, schools, community partners, law enforcement agencies have a role to play in reducing sexual crime in Singapore, especially amongst our youths. We also look forward to working with all our fellow agencies, with our community partners, to enhance support for victims of sexual crime.

20. With that, I wish everyone a fruitful seminar. Thank you very much.