Scenes of lawmakers fighting in the legislatiure have become quite a common sight. It is as if the tussling has become an integral part of the push and pull of politics. There is a common understanding that if you cannot take the physical aspect of the job and if you are worried about getting hurt, then you have no business being there.
However, using this as an excuse to sexually harass colleagues is a different matter.
After Tuesday’s debate, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Hsuen-sheng (陳雪生) of sexually harassing her by “poking” her with his belly. The facts are open to interpretation, depending on whose account you believe.
However, it is indisputable that Chen responded to Fan’s accusation by saying that she could not possibly become pregnant by him poking her with his belly, so his actions could not have been sexual harassment.
He pressed the point further, telling her that “unless you can prove what I just did impregnated you, it is not sexual harassment.”
In doing so, Chen proved Fan’s point about the sexual nature of his conduct. He admitted to having “poked” her and conceded the sexual connotation of his actions, which stopped short of impregnating her, which, in his point of view, absolved him of the accusation.
Whether the intent of his action was in any way sexual, his subsequent denial suggests that it was sexual harassment, and it amply demonstrates his complete lack of awareness.
The interpretation of the incident is the subject of heated debate. Unfortunately, Chen’s KMT colleagues have closed ranks around him, and some regrettable things have been said, exacerbating the situation.
KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) told Fan that if she could not stand the heat, she knew what she should do. This misses the point. This is not about “the heat”, it is about allegations of touching a colleague in a way that constitutes sexual harassment. Attempts to obfuscate the issue and distract from the accusations of a vile act are unhelpful, as the vast majority of Taiwanese can see clearly what transpired.
KMT Legislator Hsu Chih-jung’s (徐志榮) rebuttal of the accusation on Facebook is just as unhelpful. Hsu said that he had seen Fan smiling at the time of the incident, leading him to the conclusion that she was perfectly OK with it.
Clearly, Hsu intended his post to absolve Chen Hsuen-sheng of guilt, but indirectly suggested the opposite. He recognized the sexual nature of what he saw, only denying that it was harassment because Fan was allegedly smiling.
In the face of alleged sexual harassment, members of the nation’s highest legislative organ closed ranks and demonstrated political partisanship. Lawmakers made inappropriate comments and questioned the motivations of the victim, or joked about the harm that has been caused.
They set the worst examples for society. Not only do they minimize the seriousness of sexual harassment, they harm the victim, and discourage other victims from coming forward.
We cannot just let this incident go by without doing something about it.
Huang Sue-ying is the president of Taiwan Women’s Link.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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