The Child Welfare League Foundation yesterday called for amendments to child protection laws, including creating a basis for the Missing Children Data Resource Center to receive more funding and resources.
At a news conference, the foundation proposed amendments to the Protection of Children and Youth Welfare and Rights Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法), such as providing a legal basis for the center to handle reports of missing children, as well as follow-ups and counseling in cases of missing children.
The center has long grappled with a lack of funding and staffing because there is no legal basis for its establishment, which has made it difficult for the center to consistently promote programs, the foundation said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Another amendment could help prevent parental child abduction, it said.
From 2016 to October this year, 2,604 children were reported to have been taken from their homes by a parent, it said, citing data from the National Police Agency (NPA).
An article should be added to the act to require divorced couples to undergo consultation and plan for the care of their children, the foundation said.
This would alleviate some of the effects of divorce on children, such as providing for their care, protecting their best interests and helping them maintain their relationships with their parents, it said.
Last year, the Ministry of the Interior recorded 54,346 divorces, but the Ministry of Health and Welfare only subsidizes family consultation services provided by about 10 non-governmental organizations, which is “clearly not enough,” it said.
In the four years since a missing-child alert system was introduced in Taiwan, it has never been used, the foundation said, adding that the NPA should loosen the criteria for issuing alerts.
From January to October this year, 5,156 children under the age of 18 were reported missing, the foundation said, citing NPA data.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) and New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) also attended the news conference.
While in the past kidnapping by strangers was the most common cause of children disappearing, children today often “voluntarily” leave their homes, Wang said.
When children leave, their livelihoods, safety and health might be affected or threatened, she said.
Laws should also be improved to better prevent repeat runaways, she said, adding that even after children return, there is a risk they will go missing again.
Children might be unaware that people are searching for them, center representative Hsu Ching-ling (許慶玲) said.
Counseling children after they have been found and helping them adjust to living at home again are essential, she added.
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