“I think this has very effectively raised awareness for the public about sexual harassment, boundaries around the body, boundaries on our speech,” said Cynthia Shih, director of the Awakening Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for women’s rights in Taiwan. The wave of accusations and personal stories of unwanted encounters has brought the way Taiwan deals with sexual violence to the forefront of society. The island’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ambassador to Thailand was forced to resign after a sexual harassment complaint.
On June 21, influencer Chiu Yao-le accused his former boyfriend Aaron Yan, a popular actor and singer, of filming them in bed without his consent when he was 16. According to local media, at least 20 women have made accusations against NONO, and Taipei prosecutors are expected to subpoena him. Known by his stage name, NONO, he’s been accused of sexual harassment, assault and other crimes. One person brought a criminal suit against TV host Chen Hsuan-yu. The Associated Press does not usually identify victims of alleged sexual assault, but Chung and others named in this report have chosen to publicly identify themselves. Chung had appeared on a news program earlier in June alongside Chu to criticize the DPP’s series of sexual harassment allegations. On June 8, Taipei city councilor Chung Pei-chun accused pro-Nationalist political pundit Lucifer Chu of forcibly kissing her multiple times and grabbing her in 2022 at a private dinner with friends. He issued a public statement denying the accusation, saying he would cooperate with any investigation and apologizing for any misunderstanding. People within the DPP accused of sexual harassment or assault were pushed to resign, though Hsueh maintained his position as he does not work for the party. With the 2024 presidential campaign kicking off, Hsu has since resigned from her post, and the party vowed to make changes internally with the backing of its new chair, Lai Ching-te. When she went to tell Hsu Chia-tien, the party’s head of women’s affairs, Chen was met with dismissal and asked why she hadn’t screamed. Taiwan’s #MeToo movement, which had a brief wave of accusations in 2017 as the #MeToo movement swept the globe, reignited on May 31 when a woman named Chen Chien-jou who worked for the Democratic Progressive Party, the party in power, accused film director Hsueh Chao-hui of groping her and making unwanted sexual advances. In the past month, people have stepped forward with accusations, one after the other, leading to criminal investigations, resignations at different levels of government, and a society-wide discussion of the unspoken rules that govern gender norms in society.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Taiwan is facing a long-delayed reckoning with sexual harassment and sexual violence.
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