The Ministry of Education is to improve the report mechanism for sexual harassment at schools, the ministry said, adding that it encourages students to come forward and report incidents.
Deputy Minister of Education Tsai Ching-hwa (蔡清華) made the remarks on Wednesday after watching the movie The Silent Forest (無聲), which is based on the true story of sexual assault cases against hearing-impaired students at the National Tainan Special School.
In the movie, faculty at the school attempt to cover up incidents instead of reporting it to the police.
Photo courtesy of CATCHPLAY via CNA
Tsai said that the Criminal Code mandates that faculty must report an incident within 24 hours of finding out about alleged harassment, adding that those who fail to report an incident would be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000.
Schools should also step up measures against sexual harassment and raise students’ and parents’ awareness of the matter, and how they can contribute, he added.
“Together, we can prevent more incidents of sexual assault and harassment,” Tsai said.
The movie highlighted the naivete of students regarding sexual assault, Tsai said, citing a scene in which a character in the movie says: “It was just for fun.”
School curricula should include information on sexual and physical autonomy, Tsai said.
Movie director Ko Chen-nian (柯貞年) expressed the hope that the movie would provide “food for thought” regarding the issue, instead of provoke criticism of its topic as being too sensitive.
Ko said she was touched when movie-goers came to her to share their reflections on the issue or even their own experiences with sexual harassment.
Actor Liu Kuan-ting (劉冠廷), playing the character in the movie who reports the incidents, said he hoped that more people would act as the character and come forward if they have knowledge of incidents of sexual harassment.
Actor Liu Tzu-chuan (劉子銓) said that the title of the movie should entice people to not remain silent and report incidents to the authorities.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese