The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Gender Equality Committee has found former head of women’s affairs Hsu Chia-tien (許嘉恬) at fault in her handling of a sexual harassment complaint from a former party worker, while finding no fault with former DPP secretary-general Lin Fei-fan’s (林飛帆) conduct.
A former party worker in a social media post on May 31 accused Hsu of dismissing her pleas for help after being sexually harassed, saying that Hsu dissuaded her from seeking a full investigation into the incident.
The accuser, a former employee in the women’s department, said the assault occurred in September last year while returning from filming a video for the party.
Photo: Taipei Times file
The film crew’s director touched her cheek, shoulder and breast as other members of the crew slept inside the vehicle on the way back from filming, she said.
She said she reported the incident to Hsu, but was stunned by her “cold” response.
Hsu allegedly asked the woman: “Why didn’t you jump out of the van?” “Why didn’t you scream?” and “What do you want me to do about it?”
Hsu resigned from her post on June 1 after the allegations came to light.
The committee on Friday presented the conclusions of its probe into the matter.
“Hsu failed to follow party regulations by not taking remedial action in the first instance, and also used inappropriate language with the victim, which led to questions being raised about the victim’s account of the incident and caused her to feel that her complaint was not taken seriously,” it said.
“Although Hsu did tell the victim to file a formal complaint, the victim did not do so, due to poor communication,” it added.
Hsu told the victim that a filing a formal complaint would lead to an internal probe, which could result in further stress and harm for the victim, the report said.
The report said Lin did not contravene the party’s regulations, which stipulate that upon receiving a sexual harassment complaint, the priority is to protect the victim’s identity and personal privacy.
Such cases must be immediately passed on to the party body tasked with handling sexual harassment complaints, the report said.
Lin at the time oversaw the women’s affairs department and Hsu needed to report sexual harassment complaints to him, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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