A total of 669 verified cases of sexual harassment were recorded in the first half of the year, with over 90 percent of the victims being female, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s (MOHW) Department of Protective Services said on Monday.
Starting in May last year, a #MeToo movement in Taiwan has encouraged many victims to come out, drawing public attention to the issues of sexual assault and harassment.
In response, the government initiated amendments to three laws — the Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別工作平等法), the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act (性騷擾防治法), and the Gender Equality Education Act (性別平等教育法).
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
As the amended laws were implemented in Mar. 8 and have been in effect for more than six months, the department released data about sexual harassment reports this year.
In the first half of this year, the ministry received 1,710 complaints about alleged sexual harassment, and among the 1,213 cases reviewed by local authorities, 669 cases (about 55 percent) were verified, it said, adding that 90.5 percent of the victims were female.
“Physical harassment” was the most common type of harassment, accounting for 42.5 percent of the cases; followed by “sending sexually explicit pictures, voyeurism or secretly taking photos” at 26.9 percent; and “verbal harassment” at 19.3 percent, the department said.
“Public spaces” were the most common location where harassment took place, accounting for 47.7 percent; followed by “digital media” at 19 percent; “public transportation” at 16.1 percent; and “private residence” at 12.1 percent, it said.
Department of Protective Services Director-General Chang Hsiu-yuan (張秀鴛) said some people like to put their hands over other people’s shoulders or touch other people’s backs or hands when talking to them, but if the behavior is not consensual and makes the other person feel uncomfortable or offended, they may have crossed the red line.
Of the verified cases, about 80 percent of the accused had appealed — with 61 percent claiming they had been slandered or that the alleged misbehavior had been accepted by the other party — while about 38 percent said that they did not have any intention to harass and did not realize their behavior was considered inappropriate, she said.
Chang said sexual harassment is determined with testimony from objective witnesses and evidence, as well as the complainant’s feeling of being offended.
Citing some cases, she said remarks such as “you are seducing people by wearing so little,” “your chest looks so firm” and “you are such sweet honey,” or sending sexually explicit photos or content through messaging apps could be considered sexual harassment by the recipient.
No one is an outsider when it comes to sexual harassment prevention, and the ministry encourages everyone to proactively intervene and help victims if they observe any such harassment taking place, Chang said.
Victims are also encouraged to report harassment to the perpetrator’s affiliated agency or local authority, she added.
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