The Executive Yuan yesterday published Taiwan’s third national report on the implementation of two international human rights covenants, touting milestones set over the past four years, including the decriminalization of adultery and legalization of same-sex marriage.
The UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights state that member states should submit a national report on the implementation of each covenant every four years.
Taiwan ratified the two covenants in 2009 and then passed legislation to make them part of domestic law.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The latest report documents human rights efforts made by the government, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.
For example, it has been one year since same-sex marriage was legalized, and although many expressed concerns over the legalization one year ago, polls show that more than half of Taiwanese now support equal marriage rights, Su said.
The government has also established national human rights parks, he said, in an apparent reference to the Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park (白色恐怖景美紀念園區) in New Taipei City and the Green Island White Terror Memorial Park (白色恐怖綠島紀念園區), which commemorate Martial Law era victims.
Yesterday was the first time the report was published under the name of the Executive Yuan. Previously the reports were submitted by the Presidential Office’s Human Rights Consultative Committee, which stopped operating on May 19, after the Organic Act of the Control Yuan National Human Rights Commission (監察院國家人權委員會組織法) took effect on May 1.
To promote “the right to adequate standard of housing,” the Ministry of the Interior has completed national housing projects and their budgeting, as well as promoted the registration of the actual selling prices of real estate, so that house buyers can view transparent details of the transactions, Executive Yuan Human Rights Protection and Promotion Committee convener Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said.
The Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) has been expanded to include resident doctors in its protection, while the Labor Dispute Act (勞動事件法), which took effect in January, safeguards the rights of parties in labor-management litigations, he said.
Fishers have enhanced protection now under the Regulations on the Authorization and Management of Overseas Employment of Foreign Crew Members (境外僱用非我國籍船員許可及管理辦法), he said.
The government plans to make several other international human rights pacts part of domestic law, and it is to introduce more action plans on Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS