Several women's organizations yesterday released a list of legislative candidates they deem friendly or unfriendly to issues relating to women.
"A panel of judges at the Awakening Foundation, after consulting with other women's organizations, has come up with a list of recommended candidates and a list of candidates to boycott," foundation chairwoman Fan Yun (范雲) said.
The groups' main criteria in compiling the recommendation list are whether lawmakers worked to promote legislation enhancing gender equality and women's rights or participated in relevant movements. Lawmakers with records of discriminatory statements were put on the boycott list, she said.
The top five candidates on the group's recommendation list are Huang Shu-ying (黃淑英) and Yang Fan-wan (楊芳婉) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Hsu Chung-hsiung (徐中雄) and Wang Yu-ting (王昱婷) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) of the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
All five are serving lawmakers who were the main advocates behind amendments to the Gender Equality Employment Law (性別平等工作法), Domestic Violence Prevention Act (家庭暴力防治法), Sexual Harassment Prevention Law (性騷擾防治法) and sections in the Civil Code related to women's and children's rights, the group said.
KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and independent legislator Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧) also received commendations from the group because of their efforts in pushing for legislation concerning women's rights.
First-time candidates Chen Man-li (陳曼麗), Peng Yen-wen (彭渰雯) and Wang Fang-ping (王芳萍) of the Green Party Taiwan, and Annie Lee (李安妮) of the Taiwan Solidarity Union were also commended for their active participation in the women's rights movement.
The DPP's Tsai Chi-fang (蔡啟芳), Lin Chun-mo (林重謨), Liao Pen-yen (廖本煙) and Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進) were put on the boycott list for their discriminatory statements against women, Fan said.
"From the lists we can see that many of the women-friendly candidates are from smaller parties, while many of the gender-unfriendly lawmakers are from the nation's two major parties," Fan said. "We therefore would like to urge voters to give smaller parties a chance to play a key role in the legislature."
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS