Observers say that the dispute between DPP legislator Parris Chang (
"It's a typical example of sex in exchange for a job," said the secretary general of the Awakening Foundation (婦女新知基金會) Lai Yu-mei (賴友梅), adding that Chang had taken advantage of his superior position in the hierarchy to acquire sexual favors from Wong by promising her a job opportunity afterward.
Lai also says that, "under such an imbalanced power structure, even Wong herself was not exactly aware of her falling victim to sexual harassment, though she later developed an extra-marital relationship with him out of her own volition."
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
Lai, therefore, says that the DPP, which insisted on not meddling in what it called Chang's "personal affairs," has set a very bad precedent after its past efforts in safeguarding women's rights and pushing forward progressive policies toward women.
"The DPP has suffered a big setback in handling Chang's case and it will further damage the party's image," Lai said.
Echoing Lai's view, DPP legislator Lee Wen-chun (
"It's a political issue detrimental to the party. The DPP should have been more active in looking into the sexual harassment allegations, and publicly expressed its opposition [to such misconduct]," Lee says. He said that he hopes the public also understands that the party is actually incapable of conducting an investigation into Chang's affairs, because only prosecutors have that power.
Lee thinks that "a higher moral standard should be imposed upon politicians."
Therefore, if Chang had committed sexual harassment or lied, he should apologize and immediately step down.
But Lee also says that it's debatable whether politicians should step down over their extra-marital affairs.
Lai, in addition, criticized the party for obvious negligence and a lack of earnestness in handling the issue since it had designated Chang's ally, Lawrence Gao (高志鵬), to investigate the case, bypassing the party's established mechanism for handling sexual harassment complaints.
Gao had shown little interest and was the first to oppose the party's becoming involved in Chang's "personal dispute" with Wong.
Unexpectedly, Gao closed the case investigation without giving any further details than those already exposed in news reports.
The public, however, appears to gradually have identified with Gao's views, based on the judgment that "Wong didn't flatly reject Chang's sexual advances, if they were unwelcome."
Feminists, however, believe that "saying no" is not the only element in determining if sexual harassment occurs. Rather, it is the total scenario, including the circumstances, the nature of the sexual advances and the context in which the alleged incidents occurred on a case-by-case basis.
"Failing to reject doesn't mean to welcome. Usually, it's hard for victims to say no to harassers who are in superior positions," Lai says.
In Wong's case, Lai says that when Wong sensed that she might have been drugged on the first night she spent alone with Chang, the fact that she panicked shows that she didn't welcome Chang's sexual advances.
Wong has now decided to sue Chang on a charge of "sexual assault," but lawyers are not optimistic about her winning.
"It's very difficult for the plaintiff to give proof or evidence in court," says lawyer Jennifer Wang (
Wang said she was worried that Wong may get hurt again in court. She says that most judges in Taiwan have limited knowledge of the complications involved in sexual harassment, and they don't investigate and are incapable of investigating. Also, professional opinions such as psychoanalysts' diagnoses are not taken into serious consideration in Taiwanese courts, she said.
Lai looked at the capability of Wong's representing lawyer during in-court cross-examination. "If the lawyer is good at cross-examining the opposing party's testimony, he will impress the circumstances surrounding the event on the judge and will likely convince him," Lai says.
If a sexual harassment conviction is entered, it's usually reasonable to ask for administrative penalties including a demotion, a salary cut, or resignation.
"The purpose is to eliminate the hostile or offensive work environment, in which others may become offenders' victims again, and to psychologically compensate the victims," Lai said.
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