On International Women’s Day yesterday, a group of legislators and civil groups called for the swift passage of a suite of legislation to address stalking, workplace harassment and revenge pornography, which are languishing in committee.
Although Taiwan is a world leader in gender equality, many women still encounter sexual harassment and gender-based violence, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
After identifying what they see as the main threats to women in Taiwan, Fan said that she and her colleagues drafted three bills as “arrows” to take down the “three great beasts.”
Photo: CNA
However, the draft “stalking harassment prevention act,” “regulations on preventing the unauthorized dissemination of private images” and an amendment to the Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別工作平等法) are still awaiting committee review by the legislature.
Issues such as stalking and harassment urgently require a legal framework, while victims of “revenge porn,” in which perpetrators disseminate intimate images or video footage without permission, need official support, DPP Legislator Tang Hui-jen (湯蕙禎) said.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) called on the Executive Yuan to offer counterproposals to the three bills, and on legislators to deliberate on bills that have already passed the first reading.
Wu said she is in an “abusive political relationship” with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), who is calling for her removal, showing that harassment takes all forms.
Lo has initiated a petition to recall Wu over her support for easing restrictions on imports of US pork containing ractopamine.
The nation has 47 female lawmakers, comprising more than 40 percent of the total, but there is still room for improvement in other workplaces, DPP Legislator Chuang Ching-cheng (莊競程) said.
For example, the challenges his wife faced at work before and after having a child are unfathomable to most men, he said, adding that creating a more equitable environment for parents is of the utmost importance.
DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said that as Taiwanese society continues advancing, discussion about gender is expanding beyond the male-female binary to consider the treatment of gender minorities.
Garden of Hope Foundation chief executive Wang Yue-hao (王玥好) expressed hope that the bills would be passed soon to raise awareness about these emergent issues.
In addition, the Gender Equality in Employment Act has been on the books since 2002, but has never effectively addressed power imbalances or allowed for investigations into employers, Wang said.
Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation chief executive Tu Ying-chiu (杜瑛秋) spoke in support of legislation to combat the unauthorized distribution of intimate images.
The many victims of this form of gender violence suffer greatly at the hands of not only their abusers, but also from societal judgement, Tu said.
Many abusers are also repeat offenders, Tu added, urging the Executive Yuan to quickly propose its own version for consideration so that a law could be passed soon.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
As Taiwan celebrated its baseball team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 on Sunday, how politicians referred to the team in their congratulatory messages reflected the nation’s political divide. Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北隊), made history with its first-ever Premier12 championship after beating Japan 4-0 at the Tokyo Dome. Right after the game, President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated the team via a post on his Facebook page. Besides the players, Lai also lauded the team’s coaching and medical staff, and the fans cheering for them in Tokyo or watching the live broadcast, saying that “every
RSS