After bouts of depression, he is now a lifeline for others

Co-founder of non-profit group reaches out to South Asians here who are in distress

- Ariel Yu

Local actress Vika (not her real name) thought that she was capable of protecting herself in relationships, having spoken up on issues such as mental health and domestic abuse for a decade.

But in a recent relationship which has since ended, her ex-boyfriend would become upset when she took on romantic roles, wanting to have control over her decisions, and demanding to know how she posed with her co-stars for promotional materials.

The last straw was when he became physically violent and punched her, resulting in fractures to her nose and the orbital bone near her right eye.

Vika was one of three individuals who shared their experiences of abuse at an online event organised by non-profit organisation Mental ACT on Oct 19 to raise awareness about intimate partner violence (IPV).

IPV is defined as any behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm. This includes acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours, by both current and former spouses and partners.

The number of new spousal violence cases in Singapore rose by 15 per cent from 1,741 in 2022 to 2,008 in 2023, according to a report on domestic violence trends released in September by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Tackling such violence is a top priority for Mr Devanantthan Tamilselvii, 32, co-founder and executive director of Mental ACT, which has seen 17 cases of IPV since its inception in 2017.

IPV, along with other traditionally taboo topics like suicide and mental health, is highly hidden in the South Asian community. These are people who are from countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, he said.