SINGAPORE - The National Anti-Violence Helpline (NAVH) will be enhanced this year to include more ways to report family violence and other forms of abuse or neglect.

There were 8,400 calls to the helpline last year following its launch in January 2021, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling told Parliament on Tuesday (March 8).

The helpline will be bolstered with a Web link or a mobile application by the end of this year so that there will be more ways to report incidents of abuse or violence, she added.

"These modes of reporting would enable persons to quickly provide necessary details such as timing, location and other key observations of the violence incidents for follow-up action through an easy-to-use form," she said.

"These new modes of reporting will increase the accessibility of the NAVH and make it easier for survivors and bystanders, including persons who are unable to call the NAVH, to report violence discreetly."

Ms Sun was responding to a question by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang GRC), who had asked if the Ministry of Social and Family Development would consider having a text messaging service in addition to the 24-hour NAVH to allow for the quick reporting of family violence cases or urgent requests for assistance via non-verbal means.

Ms Sun said the ministry will consider the feasibility and need for such a service in subsequent enhancements while taking into account considerations such as the security of client data.

The NAVH should not be used for emergencies where there is imminent danger to safety, she said.

Members of the public who require emergency assistance but are unable to call 999 should use the SMS 71999 service by the Singapore Police Force.