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.
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
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
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