About 40 elementary, junior-high, senior-high and vocational school teachers are fired each year for sexually assaulting or harassing students, the Ministry of Education said on Monday.
Last year, there were 83 cases of suspected sexual assault by teachers and 588 cases of sexual harassment, ministry data showed.
The number of cases of teachers sexually assaulting students has risen eightfold from a decade ago, while there has been 16 times the number of sexual harassment cases, the statistics showed.
Photo: Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei Times
The power dynamic between teachers and students is unbalanced, K-12 Education Administration Division of Student Affairs and Campus Security head Lin Liang-ching (林良慶) said.
Even if a student expresses affection toward a teacher, teachers need to draw the line, he said.
“Wolf teachers are wolf teachers,” Lin said, using the Chinese-language term for teachers who have committed sexual offenses against students.
“There is no such thing as a student-teacher romance,” he added.
Faculty and staff are required to report suspected cases of sexual assault, harassment or bullying on campus to the school’s administration and local authorities within 24 hours, Lin said, adding that they must report such cases in accordance with the Assault Crime Prevention Act (性侵害犯罪防治法), the Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) and the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法).
The Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法), the Regulations on the Prevention of Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying on Campus (校園性侵害性騷擾或性霸凌防治準則) and other regulations also stipulate how such cases should be handled, Lin said.
Before hiring faculty, schools are required by the Gender Equity Education Act to check whether they have a criminal record for sexual assault, he said.
Under draft regulations for reporting staff deemed “unsuitable for employment,” which have been made available for public review until May 20, schools would also be required to check whether a prospective employee has a history of sexual assault, harassment or bullying, Lin said, adding that existing employees would also be subject to routine checks.
Schools are also required by law to educate teachers and staff about preventing sexual assault, harassment and bullying on campus, he said.
An initial response of many parents of victims of sexual assault by teachers is to ask whether their child did anything that might have caused the teacher to misunderstand, Humanistic Education Foundation executive director Joanna Feng (馮喬蘭) said.
For the victims, such questions can make them feel betrayed by their parents, she said, adding that the combination of these elements can push students toward attempting suicide.
Children should be taught that no one is allowed to violate their bodies, she added.
Last month marked the second anniversary of the death of author Lin Yi-han (林奕含), who committed suicide weeks after the release of her debut novel, Fang Ssu-chi’s First Love Paradise (房思琪的初戀樂園), in which the 13-year-old protagonist is raped by her teacher.
Following Lin Yi-han’s death, her parents said that they believe her mental illness and suicide were caused by a sexual assault when she was a student.
The suicide last year of a 17-year-old victim of sexual abuse by a teacher has also raised public awareness of the issue.
The National Parent Education Volunteer Association yesterday said in a statement that it was “heartbroken” that another student has become a victim.
The organization urged the Legislative Yuan to pass draft amendments to the Teachers’ Act (教師法) to more effectively handle “unsuitable” teachers.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it