As the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act (性騷擾防治法) passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan yesterday, women's rights activists said the new law was a gift for Taiwanese women.
"The importance of the Sexual Harassment Act is that sexual harassment will be defined as a crime from now on," said Gau Fehng-shian (高鳳仙), a judge with the Taiwan High Court and a member of the Alliance to Campaign for the Three Prevention Acts, a women's rights advocacy group.
The "three prevention acts" are the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, the Sexual Abuse Prevention Act (
In a press conference held by the alliance and female lawmakers yesterday, Gau said that the passage of the law would force the public to treat sexual harassment more seriously and would deter sex offenders.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (
"Female legislators from all parties have been putting enormous effort into pushing for the passage of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act in the Legislative Yuan. I am very proud of our cooperation, and I believe the passage of the act is a big move for women in Taiwan," Hsiao said.
Echoing Hsiao's remark, People First Party Legislator Chin Huei-chu (
"The amendments to the Sexual Abuse Prevention Act and Domestic Violence Prevention Act are still pending. If the other two laws are amended, it will be extremely good news for all women," Chin added.
Gau explained that the difference between the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act and the other two laws is that the sexual prevention act stipulates dual responsibility for offenders and the parties in charge of the premises in which a crime takes place.
"If sexual harassment happens in the MRT, for example, not only will the offender be punished, but the MRT administration will have to share responsibility and come up with proper solutions, such as posting offenders' pictures in all stations as a warning to the public," Gau said.
Under the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, actions including molesting, kissing by force, bribing for sexual services, or intimidating people for sexual purposes in a public place will all be regarded as sexual harassment.
According to the act, public places include areas such as parks, subways, bus stations, airports, restaurants, hospitals and temples.
Victims of sexual harassment that occurs in schools or at the workplace are protected by the Gender Equality in Employment Law (
The act also asks the government at every level to establish arbitration systems which might provide a more flexible way for victims to report a crime without having to face the offender in court.
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against
Police officers yesterday morning apprehended the prime suspect of a triple homicide case, after raiding the suspect’s hideout in Taichung. They transported the suspect to New Taipei City for questioning and recorded his statement last night. The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have used his hands to strangle his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), 29, along with his three-year-old son from a previous marriage and his wife’s mother, 69. The three dead bodies were wrapped in blankets when they were discovered inside their apartment in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重) on Saturday. Chang was holding a
Hungarian Member of Parliament Tompos Marton said he considers Taiwan to be a better alternative to China as a strategic partner. Marton, who is the vice president of the opposition Momentum Party, made the remarks in an interview with the Central News Agency on Sunday. He draped a Republic of China flag across his shoulders to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the capital city, Budapest, on Thursday last week, and openly voiced support for Taiwan on social media. He said in the interview that he wanted to remind the world that there were alternatives to China, and that “Taiwan has
A female physician at New Taipei City’s Shuang Ho Hospital was bullied and made to work for 32 consecutive hours by a senior colleague while pregnant before later having a miscarriage, an internal investigation found, the hospital said on Monday. The perpetrator has been removed from his post, the hospital said. The attending physician in the hospital’s Medical Imaging Department, identified by the pseudonym Y, earlier on Monday told reporters that she had been bullied by a male senior colleague who arranged shifts in her department. In January, shortly after she became pregnant, Y asked the department director if she could avoid overnight