Ahead of International Women’s Day today, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday acknowledged the contributions made by women and promised to include gender impact assessments in government policies and establish a gender equality mechanism.
“Making sure women are safe, respecting diversity, implementing gender equality and promoting gender parity in politics are our goals and we should value women’s contributions to the workplace and in the family and make sure they receive equal treatment,” Ma said in a written statement.
In a piece titled “Appreciation and blessings to all women in the country,” Ma said his government had requested that all government bodies conduct gender impact assessments before presenting long-term projects and bills, and that his administration would set up a gender equality mechanism as part of efforts to include gender equality in government policies.
About 30 percent of legislators in Taiwan are women, a ratio that is much higher than in other Asian countries — including Japan, South Korea and Singapore — Ma said, adding that his government had worked to carry out his election campaign promise to increase the number of female members in all government committees to 30 percent and to alllow an equal opportunity to participate in the decision-making process of major policies.
At a separate setting yesterday, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) said each government department should prioritize women’s rights to create a more friendly environment.
“There is still a lot of improvement to be made as the participation of women in politics and labor is lower than men’s, as is their average income,” he said.
Describing women as an important pillar of society, Liu said their sense of responsibility and innate understanding of the “big picture” made them a precious resource.
Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) said Taiwan ranked No. 22 in the UN’s gender development index (GDI) and No. 24 in the gender empowerment measure (GEM).
The GDI assesses women’s life expectancy, gross enrolment rate, literacy and income, while the GEM measures increases in women’s political and economic decision-making power, as well as participation in professional fields.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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