The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday denied a local media report that it was considering exempting people convicted of sexual harassment from penalties if they take a gender equity course and pass a test.
Asked by reporters about the issue before a meeting at the Legislative Yuan, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said: “There is no such thing. It is purely speculation.”
The ministry will not rule out taking legal actions against people who spread the rumor, he added.
Photo: CNA
At a separate event, Department of Protective Services Director-General Chang Hsiu-yuan (張秀鴛) said that sexual harassment prevention workers in mid-April held a two-day forum on sexual violence prevention.
During the discussion, there was a suggestion that sexual harassment perpetrators be required to take hours of counseling courses, and pass a test to correct their misconceptions about gender equity and possibly be exempted from penalties detailed in Article 27 of the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act (性騷擾防治法), Chang said.
However, participants at the forum did not reach a consensus, nor did they make any policy suggestions to the ministry, she added.
Moreover, the department issued a news release reiterating that according to Article 27, “a person who sexually harasses another person by abusing power” may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$600,000 (US$2,003 to US$20,035) by the local competent authorities, while those who harass others in any manner other than abuse of power could be fined NT$10,000 to NT$100,000, Chang said.
Chiu was also asked to comment on a report that hospital emergency rooms are rapidly losing doctors, and that more are expected to leave if their working conditions do not improve.
The ministry has continuously been making efforts to improve the working conditions of doctors and nurses in emergency rooms, Chiu said, outlining three methods that it has adopted to address the issue.
First, hospitals reallocating hospital beds; second, regional cooperation and thoroughly implementing a hierarchy of medical care; and third, increasing National Health Insurance (NHI) payment for healthcare workers, he said.
More than NT$4 billion in NHI payment for emergency healthcare services was allocated last month, and it is to be distributed starting this month, he said, adding that the ministry hopes that emergency room healthcare workers can receive reasonable pay and a better work environment.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
RSS