To commemorate the April 20, 2000, death of “Rose Boy” Yeh Yung-chih (葉永鋕), who had been bullied due to his gender nonconformity, the Ministry of Education last year designated April 20 as Gender Equality Education Day. It is to be observed for the first time on Thursday.
The purpose of highlighting gender equality is to create a society inclusive of all people. Be it in the workplace, on campus or in one’s family, it is hoped that people of all gender identities can be treated with respect and kindness. No discrimination or harassment should be inflicted on someone because of their sexuality or gender.
The meaning and values of Gender Equality Education Day are significant, as they represent an important milestone in the promotion of gender equality in Taiwan.
Regrettably, sexual harassment still accounts for one-third of all cases reported to local administration offices.
When a person is sexually harassed, their autonomy could be severely damaged. Moreover, their basic rights, such as the right to work and the right to education, are infringed.
The workplace is where sexual harassment is most likely to occur, and when it does, such incidents can affect not only the victim’s basic rights, but also their family. It is imperative to tackle the issue seriously and eradicate workplace bullying.
In the past few months, many sexual harassment cases have been reported, and many employers, supervisors and top executives have been charged as perpetrators.
As these investigations proceed, people have questioned the effectiveness of sexual harassment laws, specifically Article 13 of the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (性別工作平等法). It states that “When employers know of the occurrence of sexual harassment ... immediate and effective correctional and remedial measures shall be implemented.”
The provision requires employers to be responsible for the prevention and correction of sexual harassment, meaning they can act as both baseball player and umpire in cases where they themselves are accused of sexual harassment.
As a result, it is unlikely that such cases of sexual harassment would be effectively addressed or remedied, and consequently, the victims would find the act ineffectual.
The Awakening Foundation — in collaboration with Democratic Progressive Party legislators Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), Fan Yun (范雲), Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) and Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — held a public hearing on the issue. They demanded that an external, independent mechanism for investigating sexual harassment claims against employers should be established.
Experts and academics have said that loopholes in laws should have been addressed a long time ago, adding that a public consensus has already been reached on amending existing laws.
However, some government agencies, on the pretext of a labor shortage, have said they do not want to head up such external investigations.
Endeavoring to solve the problem by pushing forward an amendment, Hung requested that the Ministry of Labor and other agencies review the staffing and budgets of local administration offices as soon as possible.
Sexual harassment in the workplace should not be tolerated. This issue deserves more discussions and attention, and it should be addressed once and for all.
Lee Cheng-lin is a graduate student in National Taipei University’s Department of Law.
Translated by Emma Liu
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS