Singapore's Protection from Harassment Act 2014 now in force

THE Protection from Harassment Act 2014 is now in force, the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Home Affairs said on Thursday.

The Act was passed by Parliament on March 13 last year, and was introduced to strengthen harassment laws in Singapore. Under the Act, harassment is considered an offence - whether it is committed in the physical world or online.

The law will also apply to offences committed outside Singapore as long as certain conditions are met.

A range of civil and criminal responses are now available to protect victims of harassment. For the former, victims may apply directly to the Court for a Protection Order, or they can sue for monetary damages.

As for criminal responses, penalties for convictions range from fines not exceeding S$5,000 to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or both.

For repeat offenders, this increases to S$10,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.