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Wang voices support on gender equality task force

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday supported a call from women’s rights groups to establish a gender equality task force at the legislature.

During a visit by representatives of the National Union of Taiwan Women Association (NUTWA) and the Awakening Foundation to the legislature yesterday, Wang said that it was “necessary” to set up such a task force in the legislature, adding that such a proposal reflected “advanced thinking” on gender issues.

Wang said the establishment of a sexual harassment prevention committee in the Legislative Yuan had helped reduce the number of harassment cases among employees at the legislature.

He promised to call cross-party negotiations as soon as legislators officially launched a proposal to form the task force.

Ho Bih-jen (何碧珍), executive secretary of the NUTWA, told Wang that it had become common for gender perspectives to be included in discussion of all kinds of issues.

Since the Executive Yuan and the Examination Yuan have been pushing a gender equality team within the two government branches, the legislature should do the same, she said.

The secretary-general of the Awakening Foundation, Tseng Chao-yuan (曾昭媛), said such a task force should hold meetings every three or four months to discuss topics dealing with gender reform.

The legislature should also amend the Legislators’ Conduct Act (立法委員行為法) to allow “concerned parties” to report legislators who “insult or launch personal attacks against someone or make discriminatory remarks related to ethnicity, religion and gender” within the legislative buildings to the Legislative Yuan’s Discipline Committee for punitive action, she said.

Tseng also suggested that the legislature amend its internal regulations to oblige legislators who make discriminatory comments to attend classes on how to deal with gender issues.
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