SINGAPORE: If you see someone being sexually assaulted, don’t be afraid to report it. Because such crimes don’t just affect the victims, but their families and the community as well.
And if you are a victim of a sex crime, report it, no matter when it happened.
Doing so as soon as possible can help preserve evidence and bring the culprit to justice, preventing more harm from being caused.
Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann said this at the police’s Sexual Crime Awareness Seminar held at the Police Cantonment Complex on April 27.
To encourage the public to report such crimes, the police will launch a year-long campaign titled: “Don’t be a Bystander! SPOT it. Report it.”
Representatives from the Ministry of Education, SG Her Empowerment and Attorney-General’s Chambers also attended the event.
Sim said that while the sexual crime situation in Singapore was stable, there were some areas of concern.
She said the number of molestation cases increased from 1,427 cases in 2024, to 1,531 in 2025.
About 76 per cent of these cases took place in non-residential settings, such as on public transport and at nightspots.
And the digital world presents new and evolving risks for sexual crime.
She said: “As many social interactions now begin online, perpetrators may exploit the anonymity of the internet and the proliferation of social media platforms, messaging and dating apps to look for and prey on unsuspecting victims.”
The campaign will be rolled out across public spaces, public transport networks and public entertainment outlets, where messages to raise crime awareness and promote vigilance will be placed from May onwards.
Public entertainment outlets will also have mirror stickers with the campaign tagline. These will be implemented in the last quarter of the year.
In addition, a new protocol will be introduced to guide members of the public on what to do if they witness a sexual crime.
The SPOT protocol, stands for Spot it, Protect the victim (and oneself), Observe key details, and Tell the Police.
In their annual physical crime statistics released in February, the police said the number of rapes increased from 401 cases in 2024, to 479 in 2025. That is more than one rape daily.
The 1,531 molestation cases in 2025 mean there were more than four cases of molestation a day.
Police figures released to The Straits Times in March also showed there were 2,566 cases of sexual assault in Singapore in 2025. This was an almost 10 per cent increase from the 2,340 cases in 2024.
The police said such cases included rape, sexual assault by penetration, and outrage of modesty.
There were also more sexual assault cases involving victims under the age of 16 in 2025.
The figure rose from 943 cases in 2024, to 1,031 cases in 2025. There were 998 cases in 2023.
Sim added that the Ministry of Home Affairs has strengthened laws over the years to protect victims.
Such measures include introducing offences to tackle molestation and voyeurism, intimate image abuse, child abuse materials, and other forms of sexual offending.
In 2025, amendments were made to the law to increase penalties for large-scale circulation of obscene materials.
In 2025, most of the molestation cases took place in non-residential settings, such as on public transport and at nightspots.
Sim highlighted a case of sexual assault at a shopping mall in April 2025 where two members of the public witnessed an intoxicated woman being sexually abused by a man. They intervened by tending to her and called the police.
In June 2025, a man who was caught by an MRT commuter taking upskirt photos of a woman was sentenced to 28 days’ jail. He was caught by another commuter who confronted him and alerted the victim, who made a police report.
Sim urged members of the public to stay vigilant, as it can deny offenders the opportunity to commit their crimes.
If members of the public witness a sexual crime, they should step forward to protect the victim, when it is safe to do so, by creating a distraction, or inviting them to step away.
Witnesses should take note of the culprit’s details, such as clothing, location, and mode of transport.
In online spaces, parents and guardians of minors should pay attention to their online activities and watch out for risky behaviour such as adults who initiate private conversations with them, asking for personal details.
Parents can protect their children online by guiding them to disengage from risky conversations, blocking the perpetrator, and reporting the interaction.
They should also take screenshots of the suspicious activity as these are important for police investigations.
Lastly, parents and witnesses should tell the police about both online and physical sexual crimes as soon as possible.
Said Sim: “Do not confront the perpetrator on your own, including not engaging in doxing behaviour online. This is to protect yourself against possible escalation and to avoid running afoul of the law.”
National Crime Prevention Council vice-chairman Tan Puay Kern called on the public to look out for one another.
He said: “If you spot something wrong, for instance, an indecent act, someone being molested or attacked, inform the police immediately.
“Your actions can make a real difference to help prevent further harm and allow the police to deal with the culprit promptly.” - The Straits Times/ANN
