As the birthrate in Taiwan continues to plummet, there are now 550,000 less children under the age of 12 than five years ago. The number of children under the age of 12 at the end of last year was 2.629 million, 17.3 percent less than five years before. On the other hand, the number of children from disadvantaged families continues to rise. At the end of last year, there were 1.076 million children from low-income families receiving subsidies from the government, while 1.388 million children from middle-income families were receiving government aid, an increase of 303,000 and 477,000 respectively when compared to five years before.
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics under the Executive Yuan recently released its “General Statistics on Children.” At the end of last year, the number of children under the age of 12 in Taiwan had fallen to 2.629 million, which is only 11.3 percent of the total population. The traditional favoring of boys over girls also remains unchanged as boys still significantly outnumber girls among neonates, with 109.2 boys per 100 girls as of the end of last year.
The People First Party’s (PFP) delegation in the Legislative Yuan held a press conference on April 3, during which they said the crime rate among children and adolescents has risen rapidly, and the number of children and adolescents running away from home or going missing has also significantly increased. PFP convener Thomas Lee said the number of missing children in 2011 had risen by 17 percent compared to when Ma took office in 2008. Running away from home was the number one reason for children going missing, while not returning to school was the second most common reason, showing that there are serious problems in society and schools today.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
因國內生育率持續下滑,去年底我國未滿十二歲兒童僅二六二點九萬人,五年來減少近五十五萬人,減幅高達百分之十七點三;而且,國內弱勢兒童越來越多,去年低收入兒童生活補助達一0七點六萬人次、中低收入兒少生活扶助一三八點八萬人次,分別較五年前增加三十點三萬及四十七點七萬人次。
行政院主計總處近日發布「兒童統計概況」,去年底十二歲以下兒童人數再降至二六二點九萬人,占總人口比率更降至百分之十一點三。不過,國人重男輕女觀念仍未改變,新生兒以男嬰較多,去年底兒童性比例為一0九點二,亦即一0九位男童才有一百位女童。
立法院親民黨團四月三日召開記者會指出,馬政府執政以來,兒少犯罪比率暴增,青少年離家與失蹤事件更是大幅增加。親民黨團總召李桐豪表示,一百年青少年失蹤事件,比馬上任的九十七年升高約百分之十七,失蹤原因以「離家出走」為第一,其次是「上下學未歸」,顯然整個社會環境與學校環境都出了問題。
(自由時報記者鄭琪芳、顏若瑾)
Jumping rope has long been considered an excellent form of exercise. It not only burns calories but also improves cardiovascular health and __1__ core muscles. Anyone who has used a traditional jump rope, though, knows that it requires a certain level of skill and coordination. However, with the development of the cordless jump rope, this is __2__ the case. The cordless jump rope is an innovation in the fitness industry that has gained popularity in recent years. As its name suggests, it doesn’t have a cord connecting the two handles. Instead, each handle features a short cord with a
A: Wow, three Taiwanese restaurants just won the 2024 “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards. B: Awesome! Which three restaurants? A: Taipei’s Logy at No. 22 and MUME at No. 34, and Taichung’s JL Studio at No. 33. B: Actually, there are many more great establishments in Taipei. How about other Asian cities? A: Singapore claimed nine spots this year, making it Asia’s new “food capital.” A: 2024「亞洲50最佳餐廳」名單揭曉了,台灣有3家餐廳上榜。 B: 好厲害,哪3家? A: 台北的Logy和MUME分獲第22和34名,台中的JL Studio獲第33名! B: 其實台北還有很多好餐廳,那其他的亞洲城市呢? A: 新加坡今年入選9家,可說是亞洲美食之都。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, which also adds other ingredients to its thick soup, the floating milkfish version primarily features the “floating fish” itself in its thick soup, ensuring that the fish paste remains the star of the dish. 讓我們來探索另一道台南人熟悉的美食:浮水魚羹。這道菜名奇特的美食,再再展現了台南虱目魚料理的多樣。浮水魚羹是用虱目魚漿做成的羹品,雖然和𩵚魠魚羹一樣是羹湯,但不像𩵚魠魚羹會在湯中加入其他食材,而是讓虱目魚漿成為這道料理的主角。 peculiar (adj.) 獨特的;古怪的 The belly of a milkfish is considered the most
The practice of freezing embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was thrown into chaos in Alabama this year, when the state supreme court ruled that such embryos should be considered children, exposing clinics to wrongful death claims in the event they are destroyed in the thawing process. In 2021, more than 80 percent of US IVF procedures involved the transfer of frozen embryos, according to a recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services. HOW IS EMBRYO FREEZING USED IN IVF? IVF uses high doses of hormones to stimulate ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. Once