Despite giving Taiwan good grades for its overall human rights record over the past year, the US Department of State reported on Friday that there were still problems with corruption, violence and discrimination against women and children, as well as human trafficking.
In its encyclopedic 35th annual report on human rights practices in 190 countries, the department had particularly harsh words for China.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, presenting the report, said: “In China, we’ve seen negative trends that are appearing to worsen in the first part of 2011.”
“We remain deeply concerned about reports that since February, dozens of people, including public-interest lawyers, writers, artists, intellectuals and activists, have been arbitrarily detained and arrested,” Clinton said. “Among them most recently was the prominent artist Ai Weiwei (艾未未), who was taken into custody just this past Sunday. We urge China to release all of those who have been detained for exercising their internationally recognized right to free expression and to respect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all the citizens of China.”
Taiwan, which has one of the best human rights records in Asia, was not mentioned by Clinton, but it nevertheless stood out in stark contrast to China.
However, the report made clear that there was room for improvement.
“Although the [Taiwanese] authorities made efforts to eliminate corruption and to diminish political influence in the judiciary, some residual problems remained,” the report said. “During the year, judicial reform advocates pressed for greater public accountability, reforms of the personnel system and other procedural reforms. Some political commentators and academics also publicly questioned the impartiality of judges and prosecutors involved in high-profile and politically sensitive cases.”
The report said that while there was a “vigorous and active” free press in Taiwan, critics said that the authorities increased their placement of advertisements packaged as news reports in local newspapers and television.
Such placement of advertising may have deterred some media outlets from criticizing the authorities.
There were also allegations of official corruption during the year.
“Police corruption, while limited, was a problem. In June, nine ranking police officers in Taipei City were indicted for taking bribes from organized crime figures. In September, a former police officer in Taipei County was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in jail for taking bribes from a -human-trafficking ring,” the report said.
Violence against women, including rape and domestic violence, remained a “serious problem,” the report said.
“Rape, including spousal rape, is a crime. Because victims were socially stigmatized, many did not report the crime, and the MOI [Ministry of the Interior] estimated that the total number of sexual assaults was 10 times the number reported to the police,” the report said.
Women’s groups, the report said, said that despite laws against sexual harassment in the workplace — and increased awareness of the issue — judicial authorities remained “dismissive” of complaints.
“Child abuse continued to be a widespread problem. A reliable NGO [non-governmental organization] reported sexual abuse was more prevalent than the public realized, with the estimated number of victims reaching approximately 20,000 annually, while only approximately 3,000 were reported,” the report said. “The extent to which child prostitution occurred was difficult to measure because of increased use of the Internet and other sophisticated communications technologies to solicit clients.”
According to the report, 8 percent of all Taiwanese marriages included a foreign-born spouse — primarily from China, Vietnam, Indonesia or Thailand — and these foreign-born spouses were targets of discrimination both inside and outside the home.
Problems involving trafficking in persons will be dealt with in a second report to be issued later in the year.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS