Civic groups yesterday called for better education on bystander intervention and a review of security infrastructure following a sexual assault at Taipei Railway Station last week.
An intoxicated woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreigner notified police. The suspect, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, public indecency and taking advantage of the woman’s condition.
At about 4pm, Chiu allegedly found the woman lying on the floor inside the main concourse, took her by the hand and dragged her to a corner where he assaulted her against a wall for 10 minutes in public view, police said yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The man only stopped when he was spotted by a foreigner, who called the police, they said.
Although Chiu fled before police arrived, he was quickly found and arrested.
Chiu, whose case has been transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, was wanted in Taoyuan after he stole a truck that had been left with the key in the ignition. He drove it to New Taipei City, where he stole an electric scooter that he moved in the truck, police said.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to report to serve his six-month sentence and did not pay the court-imposed fines.
The assault sparked public outrage, with many asking how the suspect was able to commit the crime in the middle of the day in a busy concourse.
A police officer familiar with Taipei Railway Station said that the area is often filled with people seeking shelter, and it is not unusual to see intoxicated people beside the station’s main entrances or sleeping on the floor.
As the suspect reportedly appeared disheveled and the woman was drunk, many passengers likely thought the two were homeless and knew each other, and therefore did not take notice or report the incident, they said.
The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation and Judicial Reform Foundation in a joint statement called on the Taipei City Government to review monitoring and emergency response mechanisms in public spaces such as train stations, including installing emergency call buttons and clearly marking methods for reporting incidents.
The groups further urged the public not to share videos of the incident and for the media to refrain from using surveillance camera images to prevent secondary harm to the victim.
Comments on news reports and social media posts featured sensitive images and statements blaming the victim, which sensationalize gender-based violence, they said.
The perpetrator, not the victim, should be blamed, they added.
The groups called on social media companies to remove harmful comments and images.
They also urged the government to educate the public on the importance of bystander intervention, such as shouting to draw attention to the situation, notifying on-site personnel and calling the police.
The Railway Police Bureau said that Taipei Railway Station is regularly patrolled, but as it was particularly busy that day, ahead of a three-day weekend, the area was left unchecked.
However, following the incident, police increased patrols, it added.
Taiwan Railway Corp yesterday proposed four measures to enhance the safety of the Taipei Railway Station after meeting with the bureau.
First, railway police would enhance patrols in several crime hot spots in the station, including the lobby, restrooms and platforms, increasing the patrol frequency from twice to three times per hour, it said in a statement.
Second, railway police and staff at the station would form a joint security task force, with police officers, security guards and station staff conducting staggered patrols at 30-minute intervals, it said.
Third, the station and bureau would team up to approach and question people exhibiting unusual behavior in the station, it said.
Fourth, the railway station would work closely with the Taipei Department of Social Welfare to help resettle homeless people in and around the station, it said.
“We aim to fundamentally improve railway traveler safety in and around the Taipei Railway Station through crime prevention and social welfare programs,” the company said.
The Taipei City Department of Social Welfare said that the suspect was not homeless, as was speculated online.
It urged people to not label or stigmatize homeless people.
It said it keeps a registry of homeless people in the city, adding that social workers visit about 200 people in the Taipei Main Station area daily, and cross-departmental nighttime visits are made twice a month to improve management and counseling efforts.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan, with CNA
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