More protection orders filed; most involved cyber bullying and doxing

The number of protection order applications made to the Protection from Harassment Court (PHC) has increased since it began operations in June 2021.

- Claudia Tan

There were 346 applications filed that year, and the number rose to 520 in 2022, 526 in 2023 and 631 in 2024.

These 2,023 applications contained 2,339 complaints, as an application can contain more than one type of harassment.

Of all the complaints received by the court, most involved cyber bullying (760) and doxing (719). They are two forms of online abuse the Government is concerned about.

To tackle these online harms, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) will set up a new agency for this purpose.

This was announced by Minister of State for Law Murali Pillai during MinLaw's budget debate on March 4.

In his speech, Mr Pillai referenced a survey done by MDDI in 2024 which found that two-thirds of respondents encountered harmful content on social media.

Separately, a 2023 study by SG Her Empowerment showed that young people aged between 15 and 24 were more likely to experience online abuse than other age groups.