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.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
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