SINGAPORE – When male family members asked their female relatives to give them massages, the girls felt uncomfortable and declined.

The men would persist, and question if the girls loved them, until they relented. But, for some, one massage would lead to sexual abuse that lasted for years.

Advocacy group AWARE said victims who attended therapy sessions asked why the abuse happened, what they could have done differently to prevent it, and if they had done anything to bring about the assaults.

According to the police’s mid-year crime brief released on Aug 24, the number of rape cases rose from 230 in the first half of 2025 to 261 in the first half of 2026.