TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Several civic groups, including the Modern Women's Foundation and the Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH), called on presidential candidates on Thursday (Dec. 7) to pledge to end violence against women and safeguard the fundamental human right to personal safety if elected.
According to data from the United Nations (UN), one-third of women worldwide experience physical or sexual abuse at least once in their lives. Wu Zi-ying, Executive Secretary of the Modern Women's Foundation, cited this data and highlighted a significant lack of investigation into these issues within Taiwan.
Wang Pei-ling, a professor of social work and policy at National Chi Nan University (NCNU), disclosed that online gender-based violence affects about 70 percent of individuals aged 18 to 74, with image-based violence accounting for 4.6 percent of cases.
Wang emphasized the necessity of more inclusive measures, noting that the percentage of male victims of violence has surged to 20 percent in recent years.
Meanwhile, GOH CEO Wang Yueh-hao stressed that "gender violence is a violation of human rights" and called on the government to champion cross-departmental initiatives and establish think tanks dedicated to preventing gender violence.
