Taipei: Nongovernmental organizations on Wednesday called for increased staffing and professional support to handle sexual harassment reports, ahead of the second anniversary of three gender equality amendments that took effect on International Women's Day in 2024.
According to Focus Taiwan, at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan, Wang Yue-hao, CEO of the Garden of Hope Foundation, emphasized that administrative and investigative personnel, along with professional training and support systems, remain insufficient. This is despite a significant rise in sexual harassment reports following amendments to the Gender Equity Education Act, the Act of Gender Equality in Employment, and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act.
Wang, joined by other advocacy groups such as the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation and the Student Alliance for Gender Equality, as well as lawmaker Fan Yun of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, discussed the implementation of these amendments. Wang highlighted that general sexual harassment reports increased by about 45 percent between 2023 and 2024, rising from 2,650 to 3,839 cases. Substantiated campus sexual harassment cases saw an 8 percent rise, from 4,863 to 5,241 over the same period. In 2024, 1,577 workplace sexual harassment cases were reported, marking the first year such data was officially compiled.
She further noted that the actual number of incidents is likely higher, as some victims choose not to file formal complaints due to fear or a lack of trust or understanding of the procedures. Wang pointed out that overlapping provisions in relevant laws and unclear divisions of responsibility among competent authorities often force victims to repeatedly verify the legal grounds for their complaints and determine the appropriate contact point. This creates additional barriers to reporting and undermines the goal of the amendments to strengthen protections for victims.
Wang also remarked on the narrow legal criteria, which leave standards unclear for cross-sector or overseas cases. She stressed that reform cannot stop at legal amendments, advocating for increased staffing, professional training, and trauma-informed support mechanisms to better address real-world cases.
Fan Yun, in response, expressed gratitude to the NGOs for their review of the amendments two years after their implementation and acknowledged that overseas cases require further attention. She mentioned that the central government has issued administrative guidelines to clarify the application of the laws, but local governments may not be fully aware of them.
Fan urged competent authorities, including the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Health and Welfare, to formalize those guidelines where necessary and assess whether legislative revisions are needed based on practical experience over the past two years. She also called on the ministries to release more comprehensive data, including breakdowns by gender, case type, penalties, and industry sector.