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6 June 2023
Several Taiwanese feminist groups join forces to call for action as more victims publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or harassment by politicians, activists, and other public figures.
On Monday, the Garden of Hope Foundation and other feminist groups held a press conference urging the government and the legislature to amend the existing laws, enhance the complaint system and process, and provide adequate resources and support for the victims through structural changes. According to the bloc, nearly 80 % of the victims of sexual harassment in the workplace don’t report the cases.
According to the Garden of Hope Foundation’s executive director Wang Yueh-hao (王玥好) , the occurance and coverups of workplace sexual harassment case are rooted in two factors: power imbalance and lack of prevention and complaint mechanisms.
The Modern Women’s Foundation, one of the organizations present at the press conference, says many survivors of sexual harassment or abuse don’t report or delay reporting because they feel ashamed or guilty of these incidents or continued to be threathend by their perpetrator. Executive director of the Modern Women’s Foundation Wu Tzu-ying (吳姿瑩) says the witnesses’ silence and societal pressure also contributed to survivors’ unwillingness to report.
Awakening Foundation’s legal director Tai Ching-yun (戴靖芸) says the existing law falls short in protecting employees from sexual harassment by their employers, as it only requires employers to prevent and address sexual harassment without considering the involvement of third parties. This leaves the well-being of victims solely in the hands of the employer.
The Modern Women’s Foundation adds that the labor ministry, the government body that enforces the “Act of Gender Equality in Employment,” only focuses on whether employers establish prevention measures. It does not consider how investigations are conducted, whether substantial assistance is provided, or whether the punishment of the perpetrator is effective.
The groups urge the government to immediately amend the current laws to fix the loopholes that foster the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment in Taiwan. #
