Thursday marked the first anniversary of the amendment of the Gender Equality in Employment Act. Women’s advocacy group leaders and government officials held press conferences to speak on relevant issues.
The Modern Women’s Foundation and the Garden of Hope (GOH) Foundation spoke to the media on Thursday regarding the results of their comprehensive review of the act and put forth suggestions to strengthen protections for victims of sexual harassment.
GOH CEO Wang Yueh-hao (王玥好) explained that the law in its current iteration makes it impossible to verify whether internal investigators of sexual harassment within a company are aware of the relevant laws and regulations. Furthermore, their ability to conduct a fair investigation could be affected if the perpetrator has seniority over them. As for companies with more than 100 employees, the list of external professionals available to aid in investigation is overlong and makes it difficult to screen for suitable candidates.
The Modern Women Foundation’s Executive Secretary Wu Tzu-ying (吳姿瑩) added that companies tend to have a negative attitude toward and a lack of knowledge about preventing and controlling sexual harassment. She said the companies of more than half of the cases filed to the Labor Ministry in the first half of 2024 failed to take corrective action, or follow up with preventive measures.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) also hosted a press conference Thursday, inviting students and teachers to discuss how misogynistic and misandristic language has persisted through the past 21 years. She called for gender equality courses to include expanded opportunities for dialogue between the sexes, improved teacher training, and other initiatives. Students attending the event reiterated that tackling gender issues starts in the classroom.