In the past few years, there has been a series of child molestation cases. The most recent involves a go instructor surnamed Li (李) in New Taipei City, who has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for committing 64 counts of molestation against boys and girls younger than 14.
The case came to light when a student disclosed inappropriate touching by Li. Suspicious parents alerted the authorities on Sept. 1 last year. Investigators later identified a total of 12 victims.
This is not just a tragic story of individual depravity, but a stark reminder of systemic failure. It exposes troubling gaps and weaknesses in offender monitoring, victim protection and institutional coordination that have subjected victims to traumatizing legal processes.
A foundational policy failure lies in Taiwan’s inadequate monitoring of sex offenders after their initial convictions. Li’s prior molestation conviction, in 2014, was effectively erased from public and official scrutiny due to the absence of a comprehensive and accessible registry. This failure reveals a glaring gap in the criminal justice and child protection framework that allows known offenders to vanish from oversight and return to positions of trust.
Another critical policy issue is the lack of specialized police training in handling sexual crimes against children and women. As most members of the public reporting such incidents are unfamiliar with the legal definitions and distinctions between terms such as sexual harassment, molestation or sexual assault, police officers could misclassify complaints or underestimate their severity, failing to alert relevant units. The absence of a unified national hotline or streamlined reporting protocol reflects a serious policy vacuum that must be urgently addressed.
Taiwan’s legal response to child sexual abuse also reveals significant deficiencies. The “elimination of repeated statements” procedure — designed to reduce trauma by limiting the number of victim interviews — has failed. The policy relies heavily on prosecutors conducting a comprehensive, one-time interview early in the process. However, persistent prosecutorial backlogs and resource constraints often force a fallback to traditional police questioning and multiple interviews by social workers, nurses and doctors, undermining the policy’s intent and resulting in victims having to recount their experiences while hindering efficient case management.
Currently, there is no legally binding interagency coordination between police, prosecutors, social workers, medical professionals and the judiciary.
Forensic interviews — an evidence-based, internationally recognized best practice for minimizing trauma and preserving testimony integrity — remains a weak point in both policy and implementation. They allow children to recount abuse through a reliable, objective method without suggestive influence.
The reluctance or inability to deploy forensic interviewers early in the process reflects insufficient political will and resource allocation. Genuine reform requires that Taiwan codify forensic interviews into law and provide funding for trained interviewers.
Social workers and therapists must be equipped with sufficient resources and manageable caseloads to provide timely counseling and support. Delays of weeks or even months in securing trauma therapy only exacerbate harm and hinder recovery.
The Li case is a tragic, but instructive example of systemic policy failures in the child protection framework. It underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms — establishing a transparent sex offender registry, consistently enforcing victims’ rights, institutionalizing forensic interviews, bolstering victim support services, professionalizing police training and implementing interagency coordination.
The Li case should not be dismissed as an isolated incident, but embraced as a catalyst for fundamental, urgent reform.
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