More people seeking help voluntarily, says centre
Jasmine Yin
jasmine@mediacorp.com.sg
MORE people are breaking their silence to seek help for interpersonal violence, with the figure nearly tripling in the past four years, according to a help organisation.
The centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence (PAVe) has seen the number of cases rise from 373 between April 2002 and March 2003, to over 800 from April 2006 to March this year.
Also, it saw a 12 per cent spike in enquiries — through phone, walk-ins and referrals from other organisations — last year, from 780 in 2005 to 876 in 2006.
Spousal violence constituted seven in 10 cases of interpersonal violence, with men as the abuser making up nearly 90 per cent of this case type. Other forms of violence were committed by family members, parents and dating partners.
According to a local media report, over 2,600 applications for a personal protection order were filed last year. Six in 10 applications were filed by women against their husbands.
Mrs Katherine Baptist, senior social worker and head of community relations at PAVe centre, said the centre's figures "do not necessarily reflect" that interpersonal violence is on the rise in
Citing greater public awareness, she told Today that more clients are seeking help voluntarily. Currently, about 54 per cent of clients approach the centre voluntarily, while the rest are referrals mandated by the Family Court for counselling.
Mrs Baptist said: "It takes a lot of courage for individuals to come forward to talk about the violence and to address it before it becomes worse. The sooner people get help, the less damage to their family life, especially the impact on their children."
Children affected by violence may feel stressed, be unable focus in school or even resort to violence themselves, she noted.
The PAVe centre, now five years old, caters to victims, perpetrators and child witnesses of interpersonal violence, and undertakes preventative outreach efforts.
Last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officiated at the opening of the centre's new premises at Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, which have been expanded to beef up its programmes to the community. He also met some PAVe clients in a closed-door session.
In his speech, Mr Lee said that there is a need to tackle the problem of family violence at its source.
This is because "the victim is not only the person who gets beaten up but also the children who are witnesses of violent acts at home".
"Without proper counselling, these children will absorb wrong lessons … and grow up to be abusive adults who will perpetuate the cycle of violence in their own lives," Mr Lee added.
Living without violence is possible, he said, but to achieve it, "we've got to work closely together to tackle this problem pro-actively". This includes tightening coordination between different agencies, such as the police, healthcare providers and social service agencies.
For more information on PAVe, visit www.pavecentre.org.sg or call 65550390.
Cutting across all education levels
PAVe is seeing more better-educated clients. From April 2006 to March 2007, seven in 10 were clients with secondary to 'A' Levels qualifications, while 21 per cent were diploma- and degree-holders. In the previous year, about five in 10 had secondary to 'A' Levels and 15 per cent had diplomas and degrees in the previous year.
"While this may generally reflect the higher literacy rate in
Of the interpersonal violence case types that PAVe saw last year, spousal violence made up the biggest percentage, at 69 per cent. Other forms of violence included those committed by other family members, such as in laws, and dating partners.
What comes to your mind when we say 'Singapore'?
A little red dot? The Garden City? A city of possibilities?
Singapore is a first-world country, playing an important role on the global stage. Yet, whilst people have often focused on her growth economically, they have overlooked the very fundamental of any country - her society. Interpersonal violence, the issue I am about to address, is a severe societal problem that, if not quelled, may become a prevalent cause of life-long physical and mental damage.
The article highlights how more victims of interpersonal violence have made known their plight to the relevant authorities. They have been more forthcoming in reporting their problems and this is a healthy sign indicating that actions, taken by the government or otherwise, have been effective at resolving the issue.
Prime Minister Lee has voiced his opinions on the matter. Representing the government, he feels the way to go about tackling the issue is through “tightening coordination between different agencies”.
Personally I believe that would only solve problems at the surface level, and the government would not be, as PM Lee has mentioned in the earlier paragraph, “tackle the problem of family violence at its source.” Interpersonal violence stems from mental stress people receive, primarily from work. The mental stress Singaporeans receive is magnified due to the strict demands on them required for sustained economic growth. The high expectations coupled with the hustle and bustle of city life, have resulted in immense stress building up within them. Many people have turned into ticking time bombs, ready to explode any moment with the slightest provocation. Thus, in order to fully resolve the problem, the government needs to look into how they may help reduce the strain their citizens receive. Furthermore, what PM Lee has proposed would only come in useful when the problem has already happened. Prevention is better than cure and it is too late to work on the problem only when it has already happened. Only by denying people all reason for interpersonal violence would all potential victims be saved from the trauma they would otherwise receive.
The matter would not be easily solved. It is not a matter of building more recreational facilities, or the formulation of a new regulation department. As a student with no experience with victims or perpetrators of such acts, I understand my views are not substantiated by evidence, and that research studies into psychology and sociology is required to identify the root of these problems. However, I still do strongly believe more effort needs to be put in to investigating the source of interpersonal violence before the government can devise an effective solution.
The government, while powerful, will be unable to rid of the pestilence alone. What they require is the full cooperation on the people’s part. Ultimately, the people are the ones who lose out. Interpersonal violence is complicated and results in long-lasting and far-reaching consequences and thus, it is of utmost importance that the problem be resolved.
(499 words)
No comments:
Post a Comment