Social workers from India and scholars from University of Delhi and University of Madras gather with their Taiwanese counterparts for a gender violence prevention workshop from May 31 to June 1 at National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan. (Courtesy of MOHW)
 

Two delegations from India and South Korea recently visited Taiwan to learn about the government’s execution of policies on gender violence prevention, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said June 8.

According to the MOHW, social workers from India and scholars from University of Delhi and University of Madras visited Taiwan from May 30 to June 5 at the invitation of the Department of Criminology at National Chung Cheng University in the southern county of Chiayi.

The other group, comprising 15 staffers from South Korea’s Women’s Emergency Hotline 1366, called on the MOHW and met with representatives of Taiwan’s 113 Women and Children Protection Hotline June 3-4 for discussions and exchanges of the operations of their respective services, the ministry added.

Preventing gendered violence has been a policy priority in Taiwan for more than 30 years, the MOHW said, citing the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act, Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, and Children and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act, among other legislation, as examples.

Equally important is the establishment of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention centers and placement facilities by local governments around the country, the ministry said. It added that the provision of financial assistance, legal advice and psychological counseling was also crucial.

Thanks to these efforts, the MOHW said the lifetime prevalence rate of women subject to intimate partner violence in Taiwan has dropped from 24.5 percent in 2017 to 19.62 percent in 2021, while the rate of re-reported cases also fell to the target goal of less than 7 percent.

Gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence are foundational values, and Taiwan is eager to share its successful experiences with the rest of the world, the ministry said. The two groups’ visits represent recognition of the government’s efforts and will pave the way for future cross-border cooperation, it added. (SFC-E)