Women’s Charter 1961 - Singapore Statutes Online

Purpose for which powers are exercisable

64. An enforcement officer may exercise the powers in this Division to detect and investigate any offence under this Part.

[Act 21 of 2023 wef 02/01/2025]

Administration of this Part

65.—(1) The Director‑General is, subject to the general or special directions of the Minister, responsible for the administration of this Part.

(2) The Director‑General may —

(a)	appoint any person with suitable qualifications and experience as a protector under this Part; or
(b)	authorise any person with suitable qualifications and experience to exercise one or more specified functions of a protector under this Part, subject to any conditions or limitations specified by the Director‑General.

(3) A person authorised under subsection (2)(b) is to be called an approved welfare officer.

(4) The Director‑General may —

(a)	appoint any public officer with suitable qualifications and experience as an enforcement officer under this Part; or
(b)	authorise any public officer with suitable qualifications and experience to exercise one or more specified functions of an enforcement officer under this Part, subject to any conditions or limitations specified by the Director‑General.

(5) The Director‑General may exercise the functions of a protector or an enforcement officer under this Part.

(6) The Director‑General may give general or specific directions to a person appointed or authorised under subsection (2) or (4) on the exercise of the person’s functions under this Part.

(7) The Minister may prescribe one or more classes of persons to be support persons for the purposes of this Part.

(8) The Director‑General may appoint any person with suitable qualifications and experience to be a support person for the purposes of this Part.

(9) The following persons are taken to be public servants within the meaning of the Penal Code 1871 when exercising their functions under this Part:

(a)	the Director‑General;
(b)	a person appointed or authorised under subsection (2) or (4). [Act 21 of 2023 wef 02/01/2025]

Saving and transitional provisions

66.—(1) The Minister may, by rules made under section 180, prescribe provisions of a saving or transitional nature consequent on the replacement of the former Part 7 with this Part.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), rules made for the purpose of that subsection may —

(a)	provide that a pending application is deemed, from the appointed date, to be an application for an order under this Part;
(b)	provide that an order made on or after the appointed date in a pending application is deemed to be an order made under this Part;
(c)	provide that an existing order is deemed, from the appointed date, to be an order made under this Part;
(d)	modify how this Part applies to an existing order or a pending application; or
(e)	prescribe the persons who may apply to vary, suspend or revoke an existing order.

(3) Family Justice Rules may provide for the substitution of an applicant for the variation, suspension or revocation of an existing order.

(4) In this section —

“appointed date” means the date of commencement of section 2 of the Women’s Charter (Family Violence and Other Matters) (Amendment) Act 2023;

“existing order” means an order under the former Part 7 that is in effect immediately before the appointed date;

“former Part 7” means Part 7 of this Act in force immediately before the appointed date;

“pending application” means an application under the former Part 7 that is pending immediately before the appointed date.

[Act 21 of 2023 wef 02/01/2025]

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