The government lacks a dedicated agency to support families, children and expectant mothers since the dissolution of the Children’s Welfare Bureau in 2013, the National Alliance of Women and Children Organizations said yesterday.
The group urged the Executive Yuan and newly appointed Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) to establish a ministry of children, youth and families, and provide a clear progress report and timetable for it.
While the Ministry of Sports was officially established yesterday after operating as the Sports Administration under the Ministry of Education since 2013, no ministry has been created to take up the tasks of the children’s bureau, which have been directed to more than 10 government agencies, including divisions of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the group said.
Photo courtesy of the National Alliance of Women and Children Organizations
The alliance said that children in Taiwan are facing five key issues: They “cannot live,” as the mortality rate for children younger than five is higher than in neighboring countries and the youth suicide rate continues to rise; they “cannot smile,” as parents struggle to spend quality time with their children; they “cannot learn,” due to insufficient family education and parental support; they “cannot be born,” as the birthrate has remained lower than the death rate for five consecutive years; and they “have no future,” as the lack of a dedicated government agency leaves children “marginalized by the system.”
The group also criticized amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法) aimed at legalizing surrogacy, and called on the government to establish a “mothers’ support network” starting from pregnancy.
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