The New Power Party (NPP) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday unveiled their respective versions of amendments to gender equality and anti-harassment laws, demanding extensions for statute of limitations and establishing sexual harassment prevention centers.
The NPP demanded that the amendments be passed during next week’s extraordinary session.
A recent slew of sexual harassment cases shows that the existing laws are insufficient to help the victims, NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan’s proposal, unveiled on Thursday, focused on punishing the aggressor, but the amendments should seek more protection for victims, he said.
Chiu said that the Legislative Yuan should adopt the party’s proposal, which would expand the applicability of the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (性別平等工作法) to events after work, and include both colleagues and other individuals.
The amendments should expand the definition of sexual harassment and extend the statute of limitations on sexual harassment of minors, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
NPP Chairwoman Claire Wang (王婉諭), citing Australian legal reports, said that, on average, victims of sexual harassment of minors need 23.9 years to speak up, which exceeds the current statute of limitations of 20 years.
To protect victims’ rights fully, the statute of limitations should begin after a victim reaches the age of majority or when they could participate in investigations and trials regarding the incident, the NPP said.
The NPP’s version of amendments demand that sexual harassment investigations at corporations include third-party individuals and a proportional number of female and gender equality experts as investigators, NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said.
The caucus’ amendments include a legal basis for companies to handle sexual harassment issues confidentially, and the NPP urges the government to publicize information on punitive measures to deter harassers, Chen said.
Separately, the TPP caucus said its proposed version would simplify procedures for filing a harassment lawsuit, extend the statute of limitations and increase fines for sexual harassment.
The TPP caucus also urged local governments to establish local sexual harassment prevention centers to provide victims with legal assistance and mental health support.
Legal measures and administrative policies help foster a friendly work environment, TPP caucus convener Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said.
The TPP proposal also demands that all agencies inform their employees of the sexual harassment prevention policies and make the procedure an item for labor inspections, as it urges more transparency on gender equality policies, Lai said.
In related news, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday said it is investigating sexual misconduct allegations against veteran television host Mickey Huang (黃子佼) after receiving a complaint.
The case has already been handed over to prosecutor Lin Hsiu-tsung (林岫璁), an expert in women’s and children’s protection cases and drug-related crimes, the office said.
Huang was accused on June 19 of sexual misconduct by a woman named Zofia, who said Huang committed acts of sexual misconduct against her over a decade ago when she was 17 years old — she later said 20 — and a student.
In a Facebook post, Zofia said Huang forcibly kissed her in his car without her consent and invited her to a Taichung hotel, where Huang allegedly asked her to pose half naked for an “artistic” photo, as he wanted to organize an exhibition.
In response, 51-year-old Huang released a video on Facebook the same day apologizing for his behavior.
As the alleged misconduct occurred in Taichung, the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office is also looking into the case.
Zofia later posted again on Facebook saying she was actually 20 years old when Huang asked her to pose for a naked photo.
If that were the case, Zofia would not have been a minor when the incident took place.
The Taichung office said it would continue to collect evidence related to the case, regardless of whether the accuser sues Huang.
Additional reporting by CNA
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition