Nearly 90 percent of the alleged victims in stalking and harassment cases reported last year were women, according to a report released by the Ministry of the Interior following one-year anniversary of the promulgation of the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act (跟蹤騷擾防制法) last month.
The report, released on Saturday last week, said from the act taking effect on June 1, last year, to the end of May, 2,999 cases were reported. Women reported 2,691 cases, while men reported 308.
The ministry said 58 percent of the cases fell under “general stalking and harassment,” and the other 42 percent were in the “domestic violence and stalking” category.
Most of the alleged victims were 21 to 40 years old, with 889 in the 31 to 40 age group and 879 people aged 21 to 30.
“Harassment using communications devices” ranked as the most common harassment type, with “stalking” ranking second and “surveillance and observation” third.
It is not surprising that receiving messages or photos online is the most common harassment type, because it is very easy for perpetrators to send this content anonymously and it can be difficult for the police to trace them, Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation head Tu Ying-chiu (杜瑛秋) said on Wednesday.
Cooperation between the police and online platforms is crucial, because these platforms have the power to remove or restrict such content, Tu said.
Tu advised people to be cautious when using the Internet because harassment is common on online platforms.
She urged people to take screenshots as evidence if they experience harassment, and to report it to the police.
As the law has been in force for over a year, its implementation had brought an overall positive effect to society, but there is still room for improvement, Tu said.
Tu said she hopes to be involved, along with other women’s rights groups, in making amendments to the law next year to further reduce stalking and harassment. Perpetrators should receive fines alongside written warnings, she said.
Meanwhile, she also called for better training of police across the country for closer cooperation with domestic violence prevention officers.
In the wake of the first year of the act’s implementation, positive effects could be seen, including a wider awareness of the issue among the public and more comprehensive protection now available to victims, Modern Women’s Foundation director Wang Ju-hsuan (王如玄) said at a separate press conference held in late May.
However, Wang said the law could be improved, by providing protection to victims while they await the issue of the official protection order, as perpetrators are not legally restricted from repeating their actions during that period.
Wang said the organization will keep advocating the improvement of the act and for more education to be available to the public.
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