The Ministry of Health and Welfare is on course to establish 154 social welfare centers by next year to expand child protection services, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Su Li-chung (蘇麗瓊) said.
The ministry yesterday opened a two-day workshop on community violence prevention and the social safety net in Taipei for social welfare organizations, social workers, medical practitioners and police.
Su, who hosted the workshop, said that the Social Safety Net Reinforcement Project, approved in February last year, aims to establish 154 social welfare centers, recruit up to 3,021 social workers between last year and next year, and create a family-centered and community-based support system to help at-risk families and children, she said.
Local governments are already helping to reinforce the social safety net, but public participation from local communities is still needed, Su said.
People should not only report suspected cases, but also watch over each other and reach out to those in need, she added.
Changhua Department of Social Affairs official Hsu Fang-yu (許芳瑜) said that the “conventional mindset of not airing your dirty laundry in public” still affects victims of domestic violence.
Most cases do not get reported until they come to the attention of police, hospitals, social departments or schools, Hsu said.
The department in 2015 formed a community empowerment team of academics, specialists and social workers that put theory into practice, she said, adding that it formed community watch teams.
Male team members invited men from households where disputes were reported to drink tea and chat, so they could understand their thoughts and help them relieve stress, she said, adding that female members supported the women.
Reports of domestic violence by the general public have increased, showing that people are more aware of violence and are willing to take action, Hsu said.
The ministry urged people to call the government’s 113 national hotline with suspicions of domestic violence, sexual assault, negligence or abuse.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS