The Executive Yuan on Thursday approved a draft amendment that would increase the maximum penalty for child abuse — including abandonment, physical or psychological abuse — to NT$600,000.
Meanwhile, the maximum penalty for selling alcohol or betel nuts to children would be raised to NT$100,000, according to the proposed amendment to the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法).
Medical staff, social workers, police and teachers would face a fine of up to NT$60,000 if they fail to report a suspected case of abuse, the draft bill proposed, stating that police could ask prosecutors to investigate without any evidence of a crime if a situation is deemed urgent.
Social and Family Affairs Administration Director Chien Hui-chuan (簡慧娟) said that one of the draft bill’s main aims is to involve law enforcement in child protection at an early stage.
When social workers encounter difficulties visiting a family home, the whereabouts of a child is unknown, or criminal activity involving a child is believed to have occurred or be taking place, prosecutors would be able to investigate after receiving a police report to that effect, she said.
Another aim is to establish a database of individuals convicted of abusing children, Chien said.
According to the draft, child care institutions would be required to suspend unfit staff immediately pending an investigation, as well as notify the authorities of staff transfers and recruitment.
Failure to follow these rules could result in a fine of NT$50,000 to NT$250,000.
In extreme cases an institution could be closed down or have its license revoked.
In addition, all nursery centers would be required to install video surveillance cameras, the draft states.
About 90 percent of nursery centers have already installed surveillance systems, administration Deputy Director Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊) said.
The draft would be submitted to the Legislative Yuan and reviewed alongside draft amendments to the Criminal Code to increase penalties for child abuse, as proposed by lawmakers last month.
Under the draft amendments to the Criminal Code, perpetrators would be subject to the death penalty, life in prison or a prison sentence of more than 10 years in cases where a child dies as a result of abuse.
Currently, perpetrators of child abuse are often tried on charges of injury resulting in death instead of homicide.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS