Oral Answer by Senior Minister of State for Law, Ms Indranee Rajah S.C., to Parliamentary Question on Harsher Punishments for Child Abuse Offenders

10 Jan 2018 Posted in Parliamentary speeches and responses

Mr Christopher de Souza (Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC)

Question:

To ask the Minister for Law whether he will consider a provision in the Penal Code or the Children and Young Persons Act to enhance the discretionary power of the courts to administer harsher punishments for child abuse offenders.

Answer:

1. The Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Social and Family Development and other agencies have been working together over the past year to review the laws relating to child abuse, with a view to enhancing protection for children. This includes a review of the adequacy of penalties for the entire spectrum of child abuse offences. We will announce more details when the review is completed.

Last updated on 10 Jan 2018