A preschool teacher in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) was indicted in August last year on charges of alleged sexual assault and offenses of forced obscenity against six girls. Prosecutors said the man was suspected of sexually abusing at least 20 girls.
There has been public anger toward not only the perpetrator, but also some government agencies that were accused of not being proactive enough.
The teacher, Mao Chun-shen (毛畯珅), is the son of the owner of Taipei Piramide School (私立培諾米達信義幼兒園), and prosecutors said they found that he possessed more than 600 sexually explicit images or videos of children he allegedly abused.
Parents reported the first suspected case to the authorities in July 2022. However, after watching the preschool’s surveillance footage, prosecutors found no clear signs of any wrongdoing, and Mao was not suspended from his teaching job, while the preschool was allowed to enroll more students. Prosecutors did not charge him due to a lack of evidence.
After more parents accused him of sexual abuse, prosecutors indicted and detained Mao in July last year — a year after the first case was reported.
There has been a public outcry, because the Taipei City Government seemed to have quickly dismissed the case in 2022, while prosecutors were still investigating it, allowing Mao to continue teaching.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who took office in December 2022, bowed and apologized on July 19 to those affected by the case, accepted responsibility and promised that the city government would improve its policies.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Chiang’s predecessor as Taipei mayor, on the same day said there is room for improvement, and during investigations officials should be “protecting children,” while not “causing parents panic and deciding a suspect is guilty before any ruling.”
He also said that “apologizing is the easiest, but what is the use if you cannot solve the problem?” He was seemingly shifting the blame to Chiang.
However, Chinese-language Mirror Magazine on Tuesday last week revealed the city government’s meeting minutes from July and August 2022, when Ko was mayor. They showed that the education and social welfare departments were aware of the complaints, but passed the buck to each other and failed to follow up, with a document marked: “Noted and filed for reference.”
The city government on Friday last week announced 10 steps to improve policies and said the two departments would face a performance review committee.
It might be a relief to some parents that the preschool was shut down. The Taipei District Court is expected to reach a verdict in the case next month, and the city government has admitted its negligence and promised to revise its policies to prevent similar cases, including requiring the immediate suspension of suspects from teaching once a sexual assault report is made.
However, while seeking justice and holding officials accountable are important, the harm caused to victims and their family is irreparable. The victims should be carefully supported.
Laws must also be reviewed to better define which government agencies are responsible for handling such cases.
Moreover, the case is also a reminder for parents and schools to reconsider when they should start teaching children about the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching to prevent sexual abuse. Parents and schools should trust children when they report uncomfortable experiences, while education and social welfare officials should receive periodic training so that they can handle such cases better.
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