Women's rights in Taiwan have again failed to achieve a passing grade, as a survey released by women's organizations on Jan. 7 indicates the budget set up for domestic violence and sexual abuse prevention centers this year is only NT$100 million -- or NT$4.8 for each Taiwanese woman.
The Domestic Violence Prevention Act (DVPA,
Over the past six months, the number of restraining orders issued under the DVPA has failed to keep up with the number of applications. As a result, the efficiency of the law has been bitterly criticized. More victims will apply for restraining orders if do-mestic violence prevention centers follow the new regulations and play an aggressive role in curbing violence.
Besides psychological counseling, the centers should help victims amass the evidence needed to obtain restraining orders. However, the centers are short of resources. We cannot help but ask how domestic violence prevention centers can assist victims when social workers do not even have time to answer phone calls.
The organizational regulations of the DVPA are mainly carried out by county and city governments. These governments should take domestic violence problems seriously by raising the status of domestic violence prevention centers and increasing the number of full-time social workers, not just providing a token group under the local social affairs department.
The Ministry of Interior's Domestic Violence Prevention Committee (
Only when these centers play a key role in dealing with problems of domestic violence and applications for restraining orders, can the law be implemented and can victims of domestic violence acquire basic protection.
Chou Ya-hsu is a DPP legislator.
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