In Singapore, “unreasonable behaviour” is one of the 5 grounds for divorce. In this regard, physical and/or emotional abuse is the most common example. Below are 7 important signs that can help you identify your spouse’s abusive behaviour.
You feel pressured by your spouse in regard to sex. This is a sign that your spouse no longer respects your wishes and is ignoring your discomfort.
Your spouse criticizes or humiliates you in front of other people.
Your spouse frequently checks up on you and keeps questioning what you are doing when you’re not together. Such over-possessive behaviour is not normal— do not mistake it for concern.
Your spouse’s jealousy stops you from seeing friends or family. This is a common trait among abusers: they tend to isolate their victims from others who might point out their abusive behaviour and offer help.
You feel threatened or scared by your spouse’s violence or aggressive behaviour. Abusers often beat up their victim, especially when they are feeling stressed or angry.
Your spouse threatens that he/she would either harm himself/herself or another person in the event of a divorce. This is a behaviour intended to manipulate your emotions and force you to feel obliged to stay in the marriage.
Your spouse always makes excuses for bad behaviour. For example, they might claim that they were drunk when they physically abused you, or that they could not control their temper, or that they were just kidding when they made derogatory remarks about you.
In such cases of abuse it is especially important to seek the aid of an experienced divorce lawyer in Singapore. Your lawyer will be able to navigate legal technicalities, provide you with information on options you may not have known about and advise you on matters to achieve the best possible outcome. For instance, where you may be concerned that the abuser can use custody or visitation rights to continue to exert control, an experienced divorce lawyer can advise you on options such as supervised visitation.
Furthermore, in abusive relationships where the power balance is extremely skewed, the role of the lawyer becomes particularly important. An experienced divorce lawyer familiar with such cases can prevent you from being intimidated into an unfair divorce agreement.
