The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a ban on corporal punishment in kindergartens to curb child abuse, with those found guilty of such offenses facing a maximum fine of NT$300,000.
A set of draft amendments to the Early Childhood Education and Care Act (幼兒教育及照顧法) have been approved as part of Premier William Lai’s (賴清德) plans to build public childcare facilities and improve child protections.
According to the amendments, kindergartens and schools would be required to report any suspected child abuse, sexual abuse or bullying to authorities, Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) said.
Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times
Corporal punishment would be banned and those in breach of the act would be subject to a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000.
Corporal punishment is banned under the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法). The amendments to the Early Childhood Education and Care Act are to extend the ban to protect children younger than six years old, the Cabinet said.
Under the amendments, kindergartens and their employees who are found to have imposed corporal punishment or have sexually abused children would be publicly named in addition to being fined.
The transgressors should also be dismissed and suspended from practice for between one and four years, while the kindergartens they work for would be ordered to cut enrollments or halt their operations.
To make childcare services more affordable and accessible, the amendments also allow businesses to establish nonprofit kindergartens to care for the children of their employees, and kindergartens would also be allowed to provide after-school care for elementary-school-aged children.
While it might be difficult for individual businesses to operate a kindergarten alone, the amendments encourage businesses to jointly run kindergartens and relaxes laws for businesses to convert properties into childcare centers.
The amendments are part of Lai’s childcare initiative announced last year to improve the nation’s low birthrate by building an affordable and better childcare environment.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique