Protection from Harassment Act (POHA)
Being Harassed, Stalked, or Doxxed? You Don’t Have to Face It Alone.
- Experienced POHA Lawyers
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What is Considered Harassment in Singapore?
In Singapore, the following types of actions will be considered as harassment:
- Intentionally causing harassment, alarm, or distress through threatening, abusive or insulting behavior, communication, as well as through disclosure of personal data of the target person. For example, when one of the co-workers makes remarks about the alleged promiscuity of his colleague within the hearing range of the latter, such statements constitute an offence;
- Engaging in behavior or communication which are likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress when perceived by any person. Examples include cases of shouting threats that make people around alarmed, although the threats were not explicitly directed at anyone;
- Causing fear, making provocations, or facilitating violence. These include any direct threatening, abusive or insulting communication or taking similar actions to cause a victim to believe that unlawful violence will be used against him or her, or to provoke the use of violence by the victim against anyone. Such type of behavior is often seen in the school environment;
- Offences in relation to public officials or public service workers through indecent, abusive, threatening, or insulting behavior or communication; and
- Unlawful stalking, such as surveillance, following the victim, making or attempting to make any communications, interfering with the property, loitering near the residence, or similar behavior which is intended to harass, alarm, or cause distress.
Common Forms of Harassment We Handle
Stalking
Being followed, watched, or repeatedly contacted against your wishes is a criminal offence in Singapore — not something you have to just endure. Under Section 7 of POHA, stalking covers a course of conduct such as repeatedly turning up near your home, workplace, or school; persistent unwanted calls, texts, or social media messages; monitoring or tracking your movements; and loitering nearby.
Penalties
Up to a $5,000 fine and/or 12 months’ imprisonment for a first offence — doubled for repeat offenders, and enhanced where the victim is a vulnerable person or in an intimate relationship with the offender.
Remedies available
- Protection Order or, for urgent situations, an Expedited/Enhanced Protection Order
- A police report to trigger criminal investigation
If someone won’t stop following, watching, or contacting you, you don’t have to manage it alone.
Doxxing
Doxxing happens when someone publishes your personal information — photos, home address, workplace, phone number, or family details — with intent to harass you, or knowing it’s likely to expose you to violence. Sections 3, 5A, and 5B of POHA (introduced in the 2020 amendments) specifically criminalise this.
Penalties
Up to a $5,000 fine and/or 6 months’ jail where the intent is harassment; up to a $5,000 fine and/or 12 months’ jail where it causes fear of violence or facilitates violence against you. Repeat offences double these maximums.
Remedies available
- A Protection Order requiring the offender to stop publishing or remove the material
- Stop Publication or Disabling Orders against the content directly, even before the offender is identified
Had your personal details posted online without consent? We can help you get it taken down and pursue the person responsible.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying isn’t a standalone offence, but abusive, insulting, or threatening conduct carried out through social media, messaging apps, or gaming platforms falls squarely under Sections 3 and 4 of POHA — and often overlaps with the doxxing and stalking provisions when it involves repeated contact or the exposure of private information.
Penalties
Up to a $5,000 fine and/or 6 months’ jail for causing harassment or distress, rising to 12 months where there’s a threat of violence — doubled for repeat offenders.
Remedies available
- Protection Orders, including orders to correct or remove the offending content
- Civil claims for damages
- Orders compelling platforms to disable access to content that keeps circulating
Being targeted online? Legal action can extend to getting harmful content taken down — not just penalising the person behind it.
Workplace Harassment
Abusive language, offensive comments, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and stalking by a colleague, superior, client, or even an ex-employee all count as workplace harassment. It sits at the intersection of POHA and Singapore’s Tripartite Guidelines, which require employers to maintain clear anti-harassment policies, provide confidential reporting channels, investigate complaints impartially, and protect complainants from retaliation.
Your options
- Raise it internally through your employer’s grievance process
- Lodge a complaint with TAFEP (Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices)
- Pursue a POHA claim directly against the harasser — a Protection Order, Expedited Protection Order, or civil damages
These routes aren’t mutually exclusive, and Singapore’s upcoming Workplace Fairness Legislation will further prohibit retaliation against employees who report harassment.
Not sure whether what you’re experiencing at work qualifies as harassment, or what to do about it? We can help you weigh your options.
Remedies under the POHA Act
Protection Order (PO)
The courts have a broad authority to include any directions to the PO, which the Court deems necessary to stop the harassment. Typically, such requirements include a prohibition of any abusive acts towards the victim, discontinuing similar communication, and removal of harassing publications. The court may also refer to the perpetrator and/or the victim to attend counseling or mediation.
Expedited Protection Order (EPO)
While getting a Protection Order in Singapore might take from several weeks to more than a month, some situations call for immediate protection. In such cases, a victim may apply for an EPO separately or parallel with an application for a standard PO. At the same time, it must be remembered that unlike in the case with the Protection Order, the decision of the Court on EPO cannot be appealed.
Civil Claim
In addition to other remedies under the POHA Act, the victims of the harassment can bring civil claims against the offenders. The court has wide discretion over the award, and if the court is satisfied with the plaintiff’s allegations, the court award such damages, which are in its opinion are just and equitable.
Order for Non-Publication
The victims of harassment may file an application to the Court to seek an Order for Non-Publication, which would forbid the publication of harassing statements. In addition, the Court may demand issuance of the notice, which would deflate falsehood and bring attention to the true facts.
Punishments under POHA Act
Up to 6 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $5,000
Up to 12–24 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000
Any of the offences under the POHA Act, made against vulnerable persons and persons who were in the intimate relationship with the offender, are punishable more severely compared with a similar offence without such aggravating circumstances.
Applying for a Protection Order in Singapore
Pre-Filing Assessment
The process of applying for protection against harassment in Singapore starts from a pre-filling assessment by Harassment Cases Registry at State Courts. The assessor will explain the remedies and may suggest alternatives in addition to the judicial ones.
At this stage, you can choose civil remedies offered by POHA, including a Protection Order (PO), Expedite Protection Order (PO), Non-Publication Order (NPO), and/or monetary compensation. You may also opt for criminal remedies including making a police report or filing a Magistrate Complaint.
Filing for Civil Remedies under the POHA Act
If you choose a civil track and decide file for PO, EPO or NPO under the Protection From Harassment Act, the procedure would start at the Service Bureau where you would need to file a package of documents, including:
- Ex Parte Originating Summons,
- Supporting Affidavit, including supporting evidence for the Court.
The Supporting Affidavit must be affirmed or sworn before the Commissioner for Oath or at the State Court’s Central Registry.
Serving Summons Upon the Respondent
This is another step where lawyer’s support can be of great help. According to the regulation, the Summons is to be served either by the lawyer or by the court official, named the Court Process Server, in which case the Complainant will have to accompany the Court Process Server in person. In many situations, serving the Summons personally upon the offender might be unbearable for the victim of the harassment, and it might be much appropriate to refer this to a lawyer.
Attendance of a Pre-Trial Conference (PTC)
The PTC conference takes place in court and precedes the court hearing. At this stage, the Judge would check if a resolution can be reached through mediation and, in cases where the matter cannot be resolved by mediation, would direct for a hearing called the trial. The Judge may set the procedure and the hearing date for the trial at the PTC conference or give directions for discovery and other interlocutory matters.
Preparation of the Evidence
All evidence must be prepared according to the requirements presumed by the State Courts of Singapore. It should include 3 sets of documents for the judge, the respondent, and for your own purposes. The documents should be made or translated in English and be properly binded and paginated. You should bring any photographs, copies of publications or recordings in CD-R or DVD-R format, transcribing the important parts of the recording in the Affidavit.
Court Hearing
During the hearing, the Judge would review the evidence of the plaintiff and the respondent and will hear the arguments of the parties. The decision as to the issuance of Protection Order and providing other remedies will be based on all the circumstances. The Judge will consider the evidence as well as explanations of the respondent to find out whether the alleged offender had the intent to alarm a victim, whether the accused individual’s behavior was reasonable and other facts pertaining to the case.
Serving the Protection Order
If the Court grants the Protection Order, the plaintiff shall serve it on the respondent. The regulations of the State Court also recommend filing an Affidavit of Service confirming that the respondent has received a copy of the PO. It must be remembered that the Protection Order comes into effect only after it is served.
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Our Lawyers
Mohamed Baiross
- English/Tamil/Malay Fluency
- Extensive experience of criminal law experience delivering strategic and dedicated defence
Pang Khin Wee
- English/Chinese Fluency
- Extensive experience of criminal law experience delivering strategic and dedicated defence
Simran Kaur Sandhu
- English/Tamil/Malay Fluency
- Trusted legal support from investigation to trial, ensuring your rights are protected throughout the process
Leong Zhen Yang
- English/Chinese Fluency
- Extensive experience of criminal law experience delivering strategic and dedicated defence
Bernard Ee
- English/Chinese Fluency
- Extensive experience of criminal law experience delivering strategic and dedicated defence
Zachary Lim
- English/Chinese Fluency
- Trusted legal support from investigation to trial, ensuring your rights are protected throughout the process
Koh Boon Yang
- English/Chinese Fluency
- Extensive experience of criminal law experience delivering strategic and dedicated defence
Our Reviews
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From Protection Orders to takedown requests, our team can walk you through the fastest, most effective path forward for your situation.
