POHA Singapore: How the Protection from Harassment Act Protects You

POHA is Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act 2014. It makes harassment, threatening behavior, stalking and doxxing criminal offenses, and it gives victims civil remedies they can pursue themselves: protection orders to stop the conduct, orders to stop or correct false statements, and a claim for damages. Most civil applications go to the Protection from Harassment Court, which uses simpler procedures than ordinary lawsuits, and serious cases can also be reported to the police.

This guide explains how POHA works in Singapore, what it covers, how to apply for a protection order and where to get help. We’re a reputation management firm operated from Singapore, not a law firm, so this is general information, not legal advice. If you’re in danger, call 999 or SMS 70999.

What POHA covers

POHA was passed in 2014 and substantially amended in 2019. The amendments widened the remedies, added specific doxxing offenses and led to a dedicated Protection from Harassment Court, which began hearing cases in 2021. The Act applies to conduct both online and offline.

In general terms, the main offenses are:

Conduct	What it covers, in general terms
Intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress	Threatening, abusive or insulting words, behavior or communications, or publishing someone’s identity information, intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress
Harassment, alarm or distress	Threatening, abusive or insulting conduct heard, seen or perceived by someone likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress, even without that intent
Fear or provocation of violence	Conduct intended to make someone believe violence will be used against them, or to provoke violence, including publishing their identity information for that purpose
Offenses against public servants and public service workers	Similar conduct aimed at people doing their public duties
Unlawful stalking	A course of conduct, such as following, repeated contact, or monitoring someone’s online activity, that causes harassment, alarm or distress

Higher penalties can apply in certain situations, for example where the victim is a vulnerable person or the offender was in an intimate relationship with them. Some offenses have a defense where the accused proves their conduct was reasonable. We haven’t listed specific penalties; they depend on the offense and the circumstances.

Doxxing under POHA

POHA’s doxxing provisions sit within the offenses above, in section 3 and section 5. They cover publishing someone’s “identity information”, meaning information that identifies or purports to identify them, such as their name, photo, home address, phone number or email, with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress, or to make them fear or to facilitate violence. The provisions can also cover identity information about a person related to the target, such as a family member.

Doxxing is common in online disputes: a heated argument ends with someone posting another person’s home address or workplace. Our separate guide to doxxing in Singapore covers the practical steps if it happens to you.

Civil remedies you can seek yourself

POHA isn’t only a criminal law. Victims can go to court themselves, whether or not the police are involved.

• Protection orders. A court can order the person to stop the harassing conduct, not to communicate with you, or to remove or stop publishing content, where it’s satisfied that an offense-type contravention has happened, it’s likely to continue, and an order is just and equitable. In some cases, orders can also be directed at others who publish the same material.
• Expedited protection orders. In urgent cases, a temporary order can be made quickly, sometimes before the other person is heard, while the full application is decided.
• False statement orders. If a false statement of fact has been published about you, you can apply for orders such as a stop publication order or a correction order, and in some cases orders directed at online services. Our guide to Singapore defamation law explains how these sit alongside a defamation claim.
• Damages. POHA creates a statutory right to sue for damages if you’re a victim of certain offense-type conduct.

Breaching a protection order is itself an offense, which gives the order its force.

The Protection from Harassment Court

The Protection from Harassment Court is a specialist court within the State Courts. It hears POHA civil applications and claims, and its procedures are designed so that people can bring simpler cases without a lawyer, although legal advice still helps. Applications are generally started online through the State Courts’ Community Justice and Tribunals System, which has guided forms. Check the State Courts’ website for current forms and fees, because procedures change.

In general terms, an application for a protection order involves:

1. Preparing your evidence: screenshots, links, dates, messages and any police report number.
2. Filing the application with a statement explaining what happened and which order you want.
3. Applying for an expedited order at the same time if the situation is urgent.
4. Serving the papers on the other person, following the court’s directions.
5. Attending the hearing, where the court decides whether to grant the order and on what terms.

Police reports and criminal cases

If the conduct is threatening, persistent or involves stalking or doxxing, you can make a police report online through the Singapore Police Force’s e-services, or at a police station. For emergencies, call 999. Depending on the offense and the facts, the police may investigate, or may explain other options, such as filing a Magistrate’s Complaint. A criminal case and a civil application can run side by side, but ask a lawyer how they interact in your situation.

Newer online safety reforms

POHA now sits alongside a newer regime. In 2025, Parliament passed the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act, a separate law that set up the Online Safety Commission. The commission began operating in 2026 and gives victims of certain online harms, including online harassment, doxxing, online stalking and intimate image abuse, a way to report and seek directions to platforms and perpetrators without starting court proceedings.

How the commission handles a case, and whether it expects you to report to the platform first, depends on the type of harm. Check the Online Safety Commission’s official website for what it currently covers. Our help resources page lists it alongside other Singapore support services.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. Darren, a logistics manager in Jurong, ends a business partnership on bad terms. His former partner begins sending him abusive messages late at night, then posts on a public forum calling him a thief and sharing a photo of his home block and unit number.

• Darren saves everything: screenshots of the messages with timestamps, the forum post with its URL and account name, and a record of when each happened.
• He reports the forum post to the platform as harassment and doxxing, and makes a police report because his address was shared.
• He speaks to a lawyer at a community legal clinic, who explains that he could apply for a protection order, with an expedited order given the address, and that the theft allegation might support a false statement order or a defamation claim.
• He files a POHA application with his evidence.

What the court decides isn’t something anyone can predict with certainty. But Darren has acted on safety first, kept a clean record and used the remedy designed for his situation.

Common mistakes

• Replying in kind. Abusive replies or posting the other person’s details can expose you to POHA yourself.
• Deleting evidence. Block and report, but save screenshots and links first.
• Assuming POFMA applies. POFMA is a government tool for public-interest falsehoods; for personal disputes, see our POFMA guide for why POHA and defamation are the routes.
• Treating every insult as harassment. POHA targets threatening, abusive or insulting conduct that causes harassment, alarm or distress. A one-off rude review may not meet that threshold.
• Waiting too long when you feel unsafe. If threats mention where you live or work, report them promptly.

Where to get help

For legal advice, speak to a Singapore lawyer who handles harassment matters. If cost is a concern, the Law Society’s pro bono services run community legal clinics, the Community Justice Centre helps people going to court without a lawyer, and the Legal Aid Bureau assists people who pass its means test with some civil matters. SHECARES offers support and legal clinics for victims of online harms.

If harassment has left damaging posts or search results about you, our personal reputation management service can help with removal requests and the search side, and we’ll be honest about what can and can’t be removed.

Frequently asked questions

What does POHA stand for in Singapore?

It stands for the Protection from Harassment Act 2014. It creates offenses for harassment, threatening behavior, stalking and doxxing, and lets victims seek protection orders, false statement orders and damages.

Can I apply for a protection order without a lawyer?

Yes. The Protection from Harassment Court’s procedures are designed so people can bring simpler cases themselves, with online forms. Legal advice still helps, and community legal clinics and the Community Justice Centre can support you.

Is doxxing illegal in Singapore?

Publishing someone’s identity information with intent to harass, alarm or distress them, or to cause fear of or facilitate violence, is an offense under POHA. Whether a particular post crosses that line depends on the facts.

What is the difference between POHA and the Online Safety Commission?

POHA is a law with criminal offenses and court remedies. The Online Safety Commission is a newer agency, set up under a separate 2025 law, that victims can report certain online harms to without going to court. They can be used alongside each other.