Women subjected to domestic violence need more social support to rebuild their lives, a women's group said, as a recent poll suggested that more than 30 percent of women in Taipei worry about domestic violence.
"If abused women choose to stay in unhealthy marriages, they have to risk their lives to be with their children," said Chang Chin-li (張錦麗), chief operations officer at the Modern Women's Foundation.
"Should these women decide to leave their domestic turmoil behind them, they will face numerous problems such as unemployment, meeting mortgage payments and rent and taking care of their children," Chang said.
"While their basic means of survival are scarce, they will not even consider seeking psychological counseling," she said.
According to a survey conducted by the foundation earliert this month of 1,153 women over the age of 20 in Taipei, 31 percent of respondents said that they worries about domestic violence.
The respondents said that abused women who wanted to leave their marriages are confronted with a number of difficult issues, such as recovering from psychological trauma, fighting for custody of their children, earning money and taking care of their children.
The survey also illustrated that when facing domestic abuse, most women turn to their friends or relatives for assistance, followed by the police, specialized organizations and medical institutions.
"These figures not only help us understand the experiences of many married women, but also enable us to figure out ways to turn our empathy into actions to help these needy women," said Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛), president of the foundation.
According to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Committee of the Ministry of Interior, there were 30,088 reported cases of domestic violence last year.
The Domestic Violence Prevention Law (家庭暴力防治法), which was passed in 1998, requires local governments' public health, police and social welfare services to establish 24-hour hotlines to provide immediate assistance to those who face domestic violence.
Victims are offered medical examinations, counseling and emergency shelter, while restraining orders can be sought through the courts with the help of the police.
There is hope for abused married mothers and divorced women, if society can help more, Chang said.
"Many private enterprises care about women who are faced with domestic violence; however, there are still enterprises who feel that this issue appears to be more negative and thus become less supportive when it comes to sponsoring this cause financially," she said.
According to the ministry, as of the first quarter of this year, private enterprises had donated NT$13 million to anti-domestic violence campaigns.
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