In a new effort to combat domestic violence, food court staff in Singapore are now being trained to spot and report potential signs of abuse. This initiative, which sees food court managers act as “eyes and ears” on the ground, is part of a larger push by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to address a rise in family violence cases.
In July, 77 managers from Koufu, one of Singapore’s biggest food court operators, took part in a training session by the MSF. They are the latest group to join the effort, which has already trained more than 11,000 people from different jobs since 2020. This includes people like pre-school teachers, healthcare workers, and staff from retail shops and pharmacies.
At the launch of the ministry’s public awareness campaign, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said that domestic violence is a “complex issue” and requires a “whole-of-society effort to address.” He explained that the rise in reported cases with low to moderate risks is a good thing, as it means there’s “greater awareness and greater willingness by victims and the public to seek help and report the abuse.” He also added that cases are being “detected earlier, which stops the abuse from worsening.”
Mr. Alex Go, Koufu’s senior operations manager, shared that the one-hour training session taught him about different kinds of abuse and how to approach customers who might need help. Since many of their customers are regulars, the staff often get to know some of them personally. So, if they see signs of possible abuse, like bruises, or if a customer is acting strangely, they can try to talk to them and connect them with help.
To further support the cause, Koufu is helping the MSF with its public campaign, called “Let’s Break The Silence Together.” As part of this, they are printing the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH) number on all the mugs used in their 67 Koufu and Happy Hawkers outlets across the island. The MSF stated that this move “symbolises a shared commitment where domestic violence is not condoned and everyone knows where to seek help.” While Mr. Go said that the staff haven’t had to use their training yet, Koufu hopes this effort will help bring more awareness to the serious problem of domestic violence.
