Taiwan's overall human rights record improved last year, while there is still room for improvement in various areas, according to the US government's 2003 annual human rights report.
"The [Taiwan] authorities generally respected the human rights of citizens; however, there were problems in some areas," the report said.
"Instances of police abuse of persons in custody, military hazing, judicial corruption, violence and discrimination against women, child prostitution and abuse, and trafficking in women and children occurred," it said.
According to the report, the National Police Administration stated that regulations forbid the abuse of suspects and that police who abuse suspects are punished, but no such cases were reported during the year. Detainees who are physically abused have the right to sue the police for torture and confessions obtained through torture are inadmissible in court.
The Ministry of Justice claimed that each interrogation is audiotaped or videotaped and that any allegation of mistreatment is investigated.
"Nonetheless, lawyers and legal scholars noted that abuses most often occurred in local police stations, where interrogations were not recorded and when attorneys often were not present," the report said.
From last September, in addition to audiotaping or videotaping interrogation sessions, the presence of two police officers was required at every session. If the presence of two officers could not be secured, the interrogation report had to note this and explain the situation.
Corporal punishment is forbidden under military law and the Ministry of National Defense implemented several programs in recent years to address the problem, the report said.
"In 2002, a law was passed establishing committees for the protection and promotion of servicemen's rights and interests. Nonetheless, in November, opposition legislators raised incidents of military hazing," the report said, adding that Premier Yu Shyi-kun has pledged to look into these cases and more actively ensure the protection of human rights in the military.
Child abuse was a significant problem, the report said. Although no reliable statistics were available, the report said that child prostitution was another serious problem, particularly among Aboriginal children.
As far as freedom of speech and the press were concerned, the report said that the government generally respected these rights and the print media represented the full spectrum of views within society.
"However, some political influence still existed over the electronic media, particularly broadcast television stations," the report said.
Branding the quality of news reporting as "erratic," the report said that there is a vigorous and active free press in Taiwan but the media at times trampled on individuals' right to privacy.
"The media often taped and aired police interrogations and entered hospital rooms when the patient was unable to prevent this," the report said.
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