More than 100 people joined the Women’s March in Taipei yesterday to call for gender equality and commemorate International Women’s Day.
“We aim to raise awareness that women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, sexual identity, gender expression, economic status, age or disability status,” Women’s March Taiwan founder and event co-organizer Crystal Liu (劉小妤) said in Liberty Square before the start of the march.
Photo: Courtesy of Kuan Tung-yan
The theme this year was “recognizing invisible discrimination and marching for equality” because gender inequality remains prevalent today, she said.
The march began at about 5pm at Liberty Square and finished at the Red Room International Village.
The event was the second annual Women’s March held in Taiwan.
Photo: Courtesy of Kuan Tung-yan
Compared with last year, this year’s march saw more Taiwanese civil groups participating, said Liu, adding that they hoped to make the event an annual tradition.
Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation chief executive officer Fan Ching (范情), who took part in the event, said that despite legal protections for women in Taiwan, a sexist culture still exists.
“Taiwan has a female president and might have better legal protections for women than some parts of the world, but that does not mean that gender discrimination no longer exists in our culture or in people’s minds. We are still fighting many deep-rooted, sexist traditions,” she said.
Many of the problems that the foundation has been working to eliminate, including domestic violence, child prostitution and human trafficking, are closely related to gender inequality, she said.
Although the Council of Grand Justices ruled last year that same-sex marriage should be legalized, many people are still unwilling to understand the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, said Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), executive director of the New Power Party’s New Taipei City Chapter.
“This shows that there is still work to be done to improve gender equality,” Chen said.
“Taiwan is a diverse democracy and we must educate every member of society to treat those different from themselves with the right attitude,” said Lee Pei-fang (李佩芳), a University of Taipei student.
“This means that our schools need to be more accepting of people regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, whether man or woman, gay or straight,” she added.
The march is especially meaningful because its organizers are young women who are new to the gender equality movement, Social Democratic Party National Committee member Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) said.
They are inspired by the MeToo movement, come from backgrounds different than most of the veteran feminist activists and are bringing new momentum into Taiwan’s gender equality movement, she said.
The march concluded with an opening party for the Celebrating Women Art Show at the Red Room International Village, where works by women artists are exhibited.
The exhibition is open from 1pm to 6pm through Sunday.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden