People targeted by gender-based cyberharassment need more protection and the government should work with lawmakers to facilitate amendments that provide them, the National Human Rights Commission told a news conference on Thursday.
The commission released its “independent opinion” on the government’s fourth national report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women — a UN convention that establishes an agenda for national action to end prejudice against women.
The national report, which was unveiled by the Cabinet early last month, outlined the government’s implementation of the convention from 2017 to last year ahead of a review by a panel of international experts to be held at the end of the year.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The commission said that it met with human rights experts, government officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations before drafting 25 recommendations for the government.
Commission member Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) said that one of the top recommendations was that the government and the legislature approve amendments to better protect people affected by gender-based cyberharassment, apparently referring to proposed changes — including to the Criminal Code and the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act (性侵害犯罪防治法) — that the Cabinet sent to the legislature in March, with the aim to more effectively curb cyberabuse and other acts targeting women and minors.
However, even if the proposals were made law, legislative tools to block non-consensual sexual content online and to help people affected by cyberharassment to remove such content would still be “inadequate,” Chi said.
The government should develop measures that give people the right to have sexual content they appear in to be removed from the Internet, she said.
The proposed amendments would oblige Internet service providers to immediately restrict public access to or remove content that has non-consensual sex after receiving a report of cyberabuse and cooperate with investigators.
Turning to the subject of migrant workers, Chi said that the government should revise the law in accordance with the International Labour Organization’s conventions and recommendations.
The government should also to address the gender pay gap in Taiwan, she said.
The difference between hourly pay for men and women rose from 14.9 percent in 2019 to 15.8 percent last year, she said.
Despite not being a UN member, the government adopted the convention in 2007 and has published quadrennial reports since then.
In 2011, Taiwan adopted the convention into domestic law.
The review of the fourth national report on the convention is to be conducted in Taipei from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 by at least four international experts.
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