The Legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee on Wednesday finished a preliminary review of amendments to the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例), but left some key issues for cross-party negotiations.
The amendments were proposed after entertainer Mickey Huang (黃子佼) was granted a two-year deferred prosecution, sparking outrage among the public last month.
While being investigated over sexual harassment accusations, he was found in possession of seven pornographic videos featuring a minor, that he allegedly downloaded from a membership-based Web site that contains nonconsensual pornography.
Government agencies quickly stressed “zero tolerance” regarding the sexual exploitation of children, while many public figures and lawmakers called for quicker removal of child pornography and tougher penalties against perpetrators.
However, only four articles were passed during Wednesday’s review, including requiring older students to have at least two hours of child sexual exploitation prevention education each semester, and imposing fines on Web sites that do not give authorities access to their content.
No agreement was reached on penalties, as some said that those proposed were too light, while a Judicial Yuan official raised concerns that some adolescents might accidentally breach the law and be punished too harshly for taking photographs of each other and uploading them for fun.
Some women’s rights groups have called for sexual grooming of young people to be considered criminal behavior.
An important factor in preventing the sexual exploitation of children is seldom mentioned: sex education, which is essential in preventing sexual abuse, violence and the exploitation of minors, as it equips them with knowledge about their bodies and their rights, the risks of sexual exploitation, and the means to protect themselves.
Although the Ministry of Education has released a manual for health and physical education teachers at junior-high schools, and comprehensive sex education guidelines for a range of age groups, the one hour health class offered per week in junior-high schools is often replaced with academic subjects, a survey by the Garden of Hope Foundation found.
Sex education is mostly given by regurgitating facts from textbooks without discussions, and students in romantic relationships are often told they should consider breaking up, the survey said.
The government should work with schools and civic groups in bridging the gap between the sex education policy and its implementation, by dispelling myths and disinformation, and providing specialized training and support to teachers.
They should also calm parents’ concerns by explaining to them what sex education is and how it can better protect children.
Ignoring and depriving children of access to adequate information on sex and relationships puts them at risk of learning from unreliable sources and becoming victims.
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