SINGAPORE – More abused husbands sought help in 2025, accounting for about one in five of the spousal violence cases that year.
There were 337 spousal violence cases in 2025 where the victim was the husband, a 12% rise from the 302 in 2024.
Overall, more people – both men and women – reported that their spouses were violent to them in 2025, according to the latest Domestic Violence Trends Report, released on Oct 29 by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
Spousal violence cases in Tier 1, which refer to lower-risk cases, rose 23% over two years – from 1,560 cases in 2023 to 1,871 in 2024 and 1,920 in 2025.
The latest report provided a gender breakdown of spousal violence cases for the first time – 82% of victims were wives in 2025, while 18% were husbands.
More than half of the abused spouses are in their 30s or 40s.
Physical violence was the most common primary form of abuse for all victims, with about two in three of them experiencing this.
Emotional and psychological abuse was the second most common primary form of abuse. Social workers say victims often suffer from more than one form of abuse.
The report noted that the larger number of physical abuse cases may reflect how victims – and those around them – are better able to recognise physical harm as family violence and are more likely to seek help to keep themselves safe.
Social workers told The Straits Times that men tend to under-report being abused by their wives due to shame and traditional expectations of how men should behave.
But they believe that greater awareness of the different forms of domestic violence, including emotional abuse and coercive control, may spur more men to seek help.
Besides being hit, scratched and having objects thrown at them, some of the men the professionals come across also suffer emotional and psychological abuse.
They may be constantly belittled, humiliated and threatened by their wives, said Cherylene Aw, senior director at TRANS Family Services.
Their wives may restrict their contact with others, monitor their activities and use various methods to control and influence their decisions, she added.
Anne Chui, head of Allkin Family Service Centre@Ang Mo Kio 230, said: “Some men may initially minimise what is happening (to them) or see it as part of ordinary marital disagreements.
“They may also feel embarrassed about seeking help because of societal expectations of how men should cope.
“They may seek support when the situation escalates or when they become concerned for their own safety or when the conflict begins to affect their children.”
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