Police say preliminary investigations show a 25-year-old female Singaporean had allegedly assaulted her 58-year-old mother on Monday (Jul 20).
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has said that it is "looking into" a video showing an elderly woman being hit by a younger lady at Blk 48 Lower Delta Road.
"The elderly woman's safety is our priority," added the MSF in a Facebook post on Monday night (Jul 20).
Earlier on Monday, Facebook user "ApohTecky Numero" had posted a video on his own page that showed the elderly woman being hit. In his post, he said that he had witnessed "a lot of incidents", and that the elderly woman's face was "bruised every single time we see her."
In a later update, "ApohTecky Numero" added that police officers were seen going to that unit, and that the young lady who was filmed hitting the woman was taken into custody. The elderly woman was also taken to hospital with a bandaged head, he said.
The police confirmed that a report has been lodged. "Preliminary investigations revealed that a 25-year-old female Singaporean had allegedly assaulted her 58-year-old mother on Jul 20," they stated. The case has been classified as voluntarily causing hurt and police investigations are ongoing, a spokesperson said.
"The police and MSF are working closely to ensure that the victim receives the necessary care and support. To better protect vulnerable adults from abuse or neglect, we urge members of the public to alert the authorities or call the police in case of emergency."
Voluntarily causing hurt is not an arrestable offence, hence no suspect is in custody, following the complaint. However, Dr Lily Neo, the Member of Parliament for the ward, posted on Facebook early on Tuesday morning: "I understand that the elderly woman has been taken to the hospital for a medical check-up while the accused is under police custody."
In a separate Facebook post, Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said the video had been brought to his attention. "Whatever the context and reasons, I can't see how this is justifiable. Hitting an old lady like this? We will follow up and make sure that the elderly lady is protected."
"It’s a fine line," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Tuesday afternoon. "We all know you have altercations and tiffs within families and you want to respect the family's space, but I think we do need to raise awareness and step in when we need to. A lot of it has to do with the community, people who observe this. Do we just let it pass? Sometimes we may find it difficult to step in, but that’s where perhaps we should flag it."
The Vulnerable Adults Act - meant to help protect vulnerable adults suffering from third-party abuse and neglect - will be introduced at the end of the year, he noted. "It will not solve all problems but it will be an important step forward to protect more of our citizens," said Mr Tan.
News from Channel News Asia
No comments:
Post a Comment