PART 1
1. This Act is the Women’s Charter 1961.
2.—[1] In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “brothel” means any place —
[a]
habitually used by any 2 or more women or girls [whether or not at the same time or at different times] for the purpose of prostitution;
[b]
that has been used by any 2 or more women or girls [whether or not at the same time or at different times] for the purpose of prostitution and is likely to be used again for that purpose; or
[c]
that —
[i]
has been expressly or implicitly advertised [whether by advertisements in or on the place, newspapers, the Internet or by other means] or represented as being used for the purpose of prostitution; and
[ii]
is likely to be used for the purpose of prostitution;
“club” means any place which is used by an association of 2 or more persons for any purpose or object;
“Conciliation Officer” means a Conciliation Officer appointed under section 48;
“court” —
| [a] | for the purposes of sections 13, 17, 20 and 59 and Parts 8 and 10, means the General Division of the High Court or a Family Court; |
| [b] | for the purposes of Part 7, means a Family Court; and |
| [c] | for the purposes of Part 9, means the General Division of the High Court or a Family Court, and includes the Syariah Court constituted under the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1966; |
“Deputy Registrar” means a Deputy Registrar of Marriages appointed under section 26;
“Director‑General” means the Director‑General of Social Welfare and includes any person who is authorised by the Director‑General to perform any of the duties or exercise any of the powers of the Director‑General under this Act;
“fit individual” means an individual whom the Director‑General, having regard to the character of the individual, thinks competent to provide care and protection to another individual;
“incapacitated former husband”, in relation to a dissolved or an annulled marriage, means a former husband to the marriage who —
| [a] | during the subsistence of the marriage, was or became —
| ||||
| [b] | continues to be unable to maintain himself; |
“incapacitated husband” means a husband who —
| [a] | during the marriage, is or becomes —
| ||||
| [b] | continues to be unable to maintain himself; |
“married woman” means a woman validly married under any law, religion, custom or usage;
“messaging system” means any system that enables the transmission of short text messages, or of any visual communication, voice communication or electronic mail —
| [a] | from a digital mobile telephone to another digital mobile telephone; or |
| [b] | from an electronic mail address to a digital mobile telephone, and the other way around; |
“minor” means a person who is below 21 years of age and who is not married or a widower or widow;
“occupier” of a place means the tenant, subtenant or lessee thereof or any other person in charge of the place, whether or not in actual occupation and whether or not having powers to let or sublet;
“owner” of a place means a person who, for the time being, has power or authority to let, hire, sell or convey the place to another person, or who receives the rent of the place whether on the person’s own account or as an agent or a trustee for any other person;
“place” means any building, house, office, flat, room or cubicle or any part thereof, and any open or enclosed space and includes a ship, boat or any vessel, whether afloat or not, and any vehicle;
“place of assignation” means any place where communication is established with any woman or girl, either directly or through an intermediary, for any immoral purpose;
“place of public resort” means any place to which the public for the time being has access;
“place of safety” means any place of safety established under section 177;
“prostitution” means the act of a female offering her body for sexual penetration for hire, whether in money or in kind;
“Registrar” means the Registrar of Marriages appointed under section 26 and includes an Assistant Registrar of Marriages;
“sexual penetration” means the penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth of a woman or girl by a man’s penis, or the sexual penetration of the vagina or anus of a woman or girl by a part of another person’s body [other than the penis] or by anything else;
“solemnisation” includes the contracting of a marriage or effecting a marriage in accordance with the law, religion, custom or usage of the parties or any of the parties thereto;
“State Marriage Register” means the State Marriage Register maintained under section 27.
[27/2014; 7/2016; 30/2019; 36/2019; 40/2019]
[2] In criminal proceedings for an offence under Part 11 in relation to any place —
| [a] | a court may rely on circumstantial evidence to find that the particular place is used as a brothel; and | |||||||||||||
| [b] | a court may make such a finding without direct evidence that the particular place is used as a brothel.
[36/2019] |
3.—[1] Except as otherwise provided, this Act applies to all persons in Singapore and also applies to all persons domiciled in Singapore.
[2] Parts 2 to 6 [except for sections 6A, 6B and 6C] and Part 10 and sections 181 and 182 do not apply to any person who is married under, or to any marriage solemnised or registered under, the provisions of the Muslim law or of any written law in Singapore or in Malaysia providing for the registration of Muslim marriages.
[15/2019]
[2A] Nothing in Part 8 entitles an incapacitated husband who is married under the provisions of the Muslim law, or of any written law in Singapore or in Malaysia providing for the registration of Muslim marriages, to obtain any maintenance under that Part.
[7/2016]
[3] Despite subsection [2], sections 4, 5 and 6 apply to any person who contracts or purports to contract any such marriage during the subsistence of a marriage registered or deemed to be registered under the provisions of this Act or which was contracted under a law providing that or in contemplation of which the marriage is monogamous.
[4] No marriage between persons who are Muslims shall be solemnised or registered under this Act.
[5] For the purposes of this Act, a person who is a citizen of Singapore is deemed, until the contrary is proved, to be domiciled in Singapore.