New hotline will serve male abusers, victims

Starting the Ministry of the Interior will offer a telephone helpline for men who are at risk of committing domestic abuse or who are domestic abuse victims.

"Our 113 helpline, which is known as the `women and children helpline,' is actually open for men as well; however, most men are too embarrassed to call this number when they face any domestic disturbance situations. Therefore, we hope that if we add a line dedicated to men, they will be more willing to call," said Lin Tsyr-ling (林慈玲), who leads the ministry's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Committee.

This new men's helpline can be reached at 0800-013-999.

According to Lin, about 90 percent of domestic abuse cases handled by the committee concern female victims, and 10 percent are male.

The helpline also aims to help potential male abusers to vent their frustrations over the phone.

"Besides helping male domestic violence victims, men who have emotional issues or are under a lot of stress and feel that they may potentially abuse others in their families are able to call this number and let out the things that are bothering them," Lin said.

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act (家庭暴力防治法), which stipulates that local governments should provide 24-hour helpline numbers as a domestic abuse prevention measure as well as providing immediate assistance to victims.

A recent statistic compiled by the Modern Women's Foundation (現代婦女基金會) shows that in the first five months of this year, media reports cited 56 fatal domestic abuse incidents, and 46 in which victims suffered physical injuries. Because most cases of domestic abuse are not reported in the news media, the actual incidence of the problem is estimated to be much higher.

Lin stated that the new helpline is open for men in any domestic situation, including male partners who live together.

"Right now, our marriage law does not recognize the union of two men; however, in certain court cases the rulings basically regarded homosexual men who live together as a couple in a marriage relationship," Lin said.

There will be two lines available at the men's helpline, and one will be answered by a male counselor.

Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan(GSRATE, 台灣性別人權協會) commended the minis-try's efforts in dealing with domestic abuse.

"We definitely acknowledge such an effort on the ministry's part; however, we also hope the counselors who answer the helpline are very open-minded," said Wang Ping (王蘋), the group's secretary general.

Wang that many domestic abuse cases are not necessarily situations between husband and wife, but also can be cross-generational.

"These counselors should have training such that they will be open-minded and resourceful in dealing with different kinds of situations," Wang said.