The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said in a statement on Friday that it plans to set up halfway houses for single mothers to provide them with a support network.
"Four halfway houses for young single mothers have been registered with regional governments, and two more are in the process of applying for operation permits. These homes not only provide help for single mothers, but also to single fathers as well," said MOI Children's Bureau chief Huang Bi-hsia (
Statistics provided by the MOI showed that in 2002, there were 10,548 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 who were single mothers. That number decreased to 8,775 last year.
According to a 2001 study conducted by Chiang Chian-dai
In a public statement, the MOI pointed out the importance of government intervention on the matter.
"Most of these girls who get pregnant out of wedlock opt for abortions without their parents' consent. Since unwed parents are often ostracized, and as such, we hear many stories about abandoned babies in public restrooms or in trash bins," the MOI said in a statement.
"These reports hurt those directly involved in the events. Therefore, it is right for the government to intercede," the statement added.
In order to devise a well-rounded plan to deal with single parents, the MOI plans to expand sex education in school and also join with the Ministry of Education and the Department of Health to come up with educational material.
Their joint efforts will include textbooks on sex education, promotion of gender equality and safe sex and collaboration with civic groups and regional governments. The single parent halfway houses project is also part of this joint effort.
Services at the halfway houses will include counseling, postpartum care and shelter and health care assistance for infants in order to help single parents get back on their feet.
Sources said the halfway houses will also provide assistance to single fathers who are in need of assistance.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard