More than 1,000 cases of child abuse were investigated last year, with a spike in the number who were physically abused, as a growing number of trained professionals picked up on cases.
The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) investigated 1,088 child abuse cases last year, a 6 per cent decrease over 1,163 in 2018. It is the second-highest number of cases in the last 10 years.
Physical abuse cases rose from 584 to 660, the highest in the past decade. Sexual abuse cases dipped from 248 to 210, while the cases of neglect investigated dropped from 331 to 218.
The total number of inquiries received by the ministry's Child Protective Service (CPS) was at its highest in the last five years at 3,840.
The ministry said that since 2015, it has introduced more rigorous screening tools and training for professionals, sharpening their ability to pick up on safety concerns for a child and seek intervention. The interventions include supporting children and families with community-based help such as through Family Service Centres or Child Protection Specialist Centres, or referring serious cases of harm to CPS.
Ms Lena Teo, deputy director of therapy and mental wellness services at Children-At-Risk Empowerment Association, said that the tools have helped professionals to identify abuse.
She cited one case in which she used trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy to uncover past sexual abuse in a 15-year-old. The girl had been referred to the association because of suicidal thoughts. She had been sexually abused by her grandfather, who had since died.
"Some of these cases, they are deeply buried. The tools we have now help us identify and surface such abuse," said Ms Teo.
Senior social worker Mok Xue Ting at Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre said that one of the key reasons for the higher overall numbers was stepped-up public education, resulting in better detection of signs of abuse and allowing for earlier intervention.
There is more training provided by the MSF and agencies like Big Love to professionals in different fields, from childcare and school teachers to hospital staff.
Outreach at schools has also helped children to better identify symptoms of abuse and seek support for themselves.
"The numbers for physical abuse are usually the highest because it is the most visible. Even if the child doesn't share, people might be able to observe the injuries and report it," said Ms Mok.
"But for things like sexual abuse, if the child doesn't disclose, it's harder to know it has happened unless the person is trained to watch out for the signs of impact."
Ms Mok said that even with increased outreach and awareness, there is more to be done.
"There could be more consistent training of professionals to identify child abuse early," she said.
Providing more resources to the public could also help. Someone facing difficulty with parenting can seek help early before it escalates to violence, she said. "There is also a need for some mindset shift towards receiving such support."
Ms Teo warned that with families having to be in close quarters and under stress because of the coronavirus pandemic, cases of child abuse could flare up this year.
"We are already hearing more of such cases and seeing it (at our centre). It's a combination of many factors, including the economic situation and the circuit breaker measures," said Ms Teo.
The number of children in foster care has risen steadily over the years to 545 last year, 10 more than in 2018. There were 530 foster families, up from 498 previously.
The number of vulnerable young people in residential care dipped last year to 587, in comparison with 631 the year before. There were also 59 children in conflict with the law who were in residential care.
