More than 138,000 signatures have been collected in support of increasing the penalty for severe child abuse to life imprisonment or death. In a Monday interview, Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) responded that there is zero tolerance for child abuse, and the ministry is considering amendments to relevant laws to provide more comprehensive child protection.
A case of a one-year-old boy being abused to death occurred in Taipei City earlier this year, sparking outrage in Taiwanese society and a netizen outcry for harsher punishments. Petitions calling for life sentences for those who abuse children to disability, life sentences or death penalties for those who abuse children to death, and no parole for sexual abuse cases garnered more than 138,000 signatures. Despite the public support, on Friday, the Justice Ministry replied that the proposal would not be adopted, which triggered extreme backlash.
The ministry detailed that currently, there are very few applications of the death penalty, and the upper limit of sentence for fixed-term imprisonment is 15 years. It said that the suggestion of no parole was noted for possible future amendment. In response to the backlash, the Justice Ministry later stated that it attaches great importance to and respects the content of the proposals and will consider opinions from all walks of life.