The Awakening Foundation’s “Marriage and Family Legal Advice Hotline'' turned 30 this year and released data trends from its 30 years of use. The top three issues addressed are divorce proceedings, child custody, and marital property distribution.
The Awakening Foundation established the “Civil Code Consultation Hotline” hotline in 1994. In 2016 they changed the name of their hotline to provide free legal consultation on marriage and family to all people across Taiwan. The line has taken more than 80,000 calls, with a monthly average of up to 70.
Director and Attorney at Law of the Awakening Foundation Chen Ling-yi (陳令宜) said that over the last 10 years, they accepted 30,000 calls. While the vast majority of those calls, 87%, were women, the number of men calling has increased year by year. Most callers tend to be in their 30s, with those in their 40s being the second largest group.
As for the content of the calls, Chen says divorce has always been the most common concern. While originally many calls were over court-ordered divorce, they have shifted in the last decade to include more calls for divorce through mediation and divorce mutual consent.
The Awakening Foundation is advocating for the relaxation of divorce requirements in Taiwan. Taiwanese law does not currently recognize “no-fault” divorce. Chen says the foundation is pursuing an amendment to the separation system and a relaxation of alimony requirements to protect the rights and interests of relevant parties.