SINGAPORE is set to enforce tougher laws protecting people from online sexual abuse, including a new offence targeting the creation of intimate images, including AI-generated explicit material, without consent.
The legislation, which takes effect on Monday, will also give authorities greater powers to prosecute offenders accused of grooming minors overseas before sexually abusing them.
AFP reported that under the revised laws, offenders convicted of producing intimate images without consent face up to two years in jail, a fine, or both, Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry said on Friday.
Where the material depicts a child below the age of 14, the offence will carry mandatory imprisonment of up to two years, with the offender also liable to a fine or caning, the ministry said.
The new provisions will allow Singapore authorities to pursue cases involving minors who are groomed abroad and subsequently subjected to sexual offences if either the alleged offender or victim travelled from Singapore before the offence was committed.
Those convicted of grooming minors overseas and subsequently committing sexual offences will face tougher penalties, including up to seven years’ imprisonment where the victim is below 14.
Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister Sim Ann said in Parliament last year that the legislation was intended "both to reduce the roadblocks to enforcement and to reduce the supply of such (AI-generated) materials, which contributes to a vicious cycle of abuse".
The changes come as the rapid development of generative AI has made it increasingly easy to create sexually explicit material depicting individuals without their knowledge or consent.
Singapore continues to permit judicial caning for certain serious offences, including rape and aggravated molestation.
However, separate amendments coming into force on Monday will remove mandatory corporal punishment for offences including piracy, attempted robbery and possession of an illegal weapon.
Caning for those offences will instead be imposed on a discretionary basis under the revised legislation. - August 15, 2026
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