When the Mule Refuses to Drink from the Water: An Empirical Study on Parental Alienation in Singapore

Allegations of parental alienation have gained traction in Singapore since it was first referred to in 1995 and first accepted by the Singapore High Court as a valid argument in 2014. This article provides an empirical study of 104 reported judgments by the Singapore courts, between 1961 and 2020, in which parental alienation was referenced or alleged. This article will also distil trends from the types of cases where parental alienation was referred to, the effectiveness of the allegation for parties to obtain their prayers, the types of legal responses employed by the Singapore courts, and whether there is a correlation between parental alienation and domestic abuse allegations.