The Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) yesterday urged the public to help break the cycle of domestic violence by being more proactive in reporting cases of child abuse, after a study confirmed that parents who have been victims of domestic violence are more likely to abuse their own children.
“We’ve looked into 3,577 domestic abuse cases and found that 779 of the abusers were also victims during their own childhood, which means that 21.78 percent — or about one in five — of abuse victims could become abusers later in life,” TFCF executive director Miguel Wang (王明仁) told reporters at a press conference in Taipei.
Domestic abuse victims — especially children — might suffer from self-isolation, self-denial and would be fearful of expressing their own feelings, he said.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“According to research by [the US-based] Bowen Center for the Study of the Family, domestic violence can be passed down for up to eight generations if it is not properly treated,” Wang said.
Weng Hui-yuan (翁慧圓), director of the fund’s department of social resources, said studies conducted in South Korea showed that parents who have been abused in childhood are five times more likely to become an abuser.
South Korean research also found that 70 percent of abuse victims could grow up to be abusers, Weng said
“There have not yet been large scale studies on the relationship between being abused and abusive acts, but we did find that as many as 77.9 percent of abusive parents, who were also abused as children, said they didn’t know how to deal with their children when they got out of hand, so they beat them because they think it is the only way to make a child behave,” Weng said.
She urged government agencies and academic institutions to conduct more research throughout the nation on the connection between abuse victims and abusive acts.
Wang also called on the public to help defend children.
“We want our children to live in happiness. We must help them by stopping domestic violence,” he said. “If you see children being abused in your neighborhood, you can dial the Ministry of the Interior’s anti-domestic violence hotline at 113 or call the TFCF’s toll-free number at 0800-078-585. We can all help.”
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
Taiwan is concerned that China could exploit the US’ war in the Middle East, with state media citing examples from the conflict to cast doubt on the efficiency of US weapons Taiwan would use to repel an invasion. Taiwanese officials said the resumption of Beijing’s large-scale air force incursions near Taiwan after an unusual decline show that China wants to take advantage of the redeployment of US forces from East Asia to the Middle East. “This is a moment for China to exercise influence,” a senior Taiwanese security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “What China is trying to create is a