The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed proposed amendments to a gender equality law that aims to protect the rights and interests of victims of sexual harassment in educational settings.
The updated Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法) comes in the wake of the recent #MeToo movement in Taiwan that has been spurred by sexual misconduct allegations against figures in the political field, as well as in wider society.
The amended law stipulates that it is unlawful for educators to engage in a intimate relationship with students younger than 18.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Although such relations are not automatically against the law if the student is an adult, the intimacy must be consensual and not established through an abuse of power.
The amendment also applies to cadets in police and military academies, students in preparatory schools and juvenile reformatory schools, as well as those doing internships.
The Ministry of Education said it would formulate guidelines to help schools better understand the revised law, as some educational institutions have complained that the specifics regarding “student-teacher relationship” are not clear enough, especially in tertiary education.
The guidelines would hopefully help schools draw up their own ethical standards, and help ensure safe and gender-friendly campuses, the ministry said in a statement.
Based on the amended law, a school cannot use its position of authority to punish victims of sexual harassment who report what happened to them, or anyone who assists in reporting or requests an investigation on someone’s behalf.
When a complaint of sexual harassment is received, the school must set up a team to look into the case, but if the accused perpetrator is the principal or a teacher, the investigation would have to be completed by an outside party to guarantee impartiality.
School principals and educators who, without justified reasons, fail in their obligation to report an incident of sexual harassment within 24 hours, or deliberately conceal such acts, would be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
If the victim is not satisfied with the investigation results, he or she may apply to the school or other competent authorities for another investigation within 30 days after receiving the results of the initial probe.
School principals or teachers who abuse their power and sexually harass their students would not only face compensation lawsuits, but also a bill for punitive damages.
The updated act is to be promulgated on International Women’s Day on March 8 next year.
Meanwhile, cross-party negotiations on amendments to two other laws relating to gender equality — the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (性別工作平等法) and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act (性騷擾防治法) — are not yet complete, but would be put to a vote on Monday, the last day of the legislative extraordinary session.
The Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy in a news release yesterday affirmed the amendment’s demand that gender equality committees at all government levels include student representatives.
However, local governments might have difficulties locating student representatives or lack relevant regulations, it said, suggesting that the ministry draft enforcement rules or issue official guidelines.
Ministry of Education Department of Student Affairs and Special Education Director-General Wu Lin-hui (吳林輝) said that the passage of the amendment would require that the ministry amend at least seven ancillary laws, which the ministry hopes to complete and promulgate within six months.
Regarding student representatives, Wu said that the ministry would speak with local governments to gain an understanding about their plans for establishing gender equality committees.
Wu urged the public and other concerned parties not to worry and assured them that the ministry would thoroughly discuss how such committees would be formed and how they would function during subsequent meetings.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS