On average, 26 babies have been abused to the point of death or serious injury every year since 2020, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
People in Taiwan have killed or irreversibly injured 134 infants through domestic abuse in the past five years, Department of Protective Services Director-General Chang Hsiu-yuan (張秀鴛) said.
More than 25 percent of the babies died, while more than half of those who survived had irreversible brain injuries, Chang said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
More than 90 percent of those with brain injuries were under two years old, she said.
Children who purportedly sustained brain injuries from falls often turned out to be victims of abuse, she added.
Parents in distress from dealing with infants should turn to the nearest social service, family education or parent-child center for help, Chang said.
The government can support hard-pressed families with money, baby care resources, and stop-gap baby care or other community-based solutions, she said.
Shaken baby syndrome is among the most prevalent and dangerous forms of infant abuse, said Lee En-pei (李恩沛), a critical child care specialist at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Changhua County.
The diagnostic indicators for maliciously inflicted injuries include black eyes, bruises behind the ears, cerebrospinal fluid leak via the nostrils, facial or cranial floor fractures, diffuse brain lesions, cognitive decline and spinal injuries, Lee said.
The mortality rate for infants with such injuries is 25 percent, she said, adding that there are additional risks of delayed palsy and retinal bleeding.
More than 70 percent of the children who survive would develop epilepsy, palsy or cognitive disabilities, more than 50 percent would lose some or all of their sight and 20 percent would not be able to eat on their own, she said.
People planning to become parents should prepare themselves by setting resources aside for child rearing and making coparenting arrangements, said Tsai Ming-chuan (蔡明娟), a clinical psychologist at the New Taipei City-based OK Mood Clinic.
Parents at a loss with a crying infant should stop, take a walk, breath deep, exercise and think about something else to keep calm, she said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS