In order to allow people to understand the feelings of children who have been abused, the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) yesterday organized an event at Taipei Railway Station for people to experience the psychological torment by covering their eyes while broadcasting cries for help from children.
TFCF said an average of two incidents of child abuse are reported every two hours, although the actual numbers may much be higher. The TFCF marks April to June each year as its Child Protection Promotion Season, and is advocating to get Monday recognized as Child Protection Day, to raise public awareness of child abuse.
To advertise its campaign, TFCF organized road running events across the nation, starting in Kinmen on April 10 and arriving in Taipei yesterday. Meanwhile, another run is to be held in Hualien today.
Photo: CNA
“With our Child Protection Day campaign, we hope to urge parents to show more care for their children, to protect their children and hug their children more often,” TFCF executive director Ho Su-chiu (何素秋) said. “We would also like to remind the public to refrain from beating your children. Whenever a problem occurs between you and your kid, remember not to get angry, close your eyes to calm yourself down, call the TFCF hotline 0800-078-585 to seek help. Hug your kid, and give them a smile.”
The TFCF also arranged an event in which voluntary participants could have their eyes covered and listen to the crying and shouting of abuse victims, so that participants would be able to feel the mental pressure of children suffering from domestic violence.
Child Protection Ambassadors singer-actress Amber An (安心亞) and child star Chiao Chiao (喬喬) also took part in the experience session. Chiao Chiao, who portrayed an abuse victim in a recent film, urged adults not to beat children.
Ho said that the TFCF has been working on the child protection campaign for 27 years. Last year, a total of 16,000 child abuse cases were reported, but the group estimates that the actual number may be as high as 80,000. At the moment, there are 3,760 abused children and young adults who need special counseling service.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS