Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Preschool drugging unacceptable

Taipei Times Editorials

Eight preschool children at a private preschool in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) have tested positive for barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Prosecutors in the past few days have questioned teachers at the school, who parents accused of drugging their children. The incident sparked a massive public outcry, not only toward the school, but also toward the Taipei City Government, with many saying its response to the incident was too slow.

Taiwan group barred from French event due to China

Taipei Times

An overseas Taiwanese association is seeking public support after it was denied access to a cultural festival set to be held in September in Lyon, France, because of pressure from China.

The Association Culturelle des Taiwanais de Lyon (ACTL), which promotes Taiwan globally, said that the organizer of the Fete des Bannieres du Monde — the festival of world banners — denied its application to participate after Chinese participants threatened to withdraw if Taiwan was allowed entry.

ACTL chairwoman Yang Pei-yu (楊佩瑜) said she was surprised to learn about the rejection, as the event is perceived to have nothing to do with politics.

Politics’ #MeToo moment begins

Taipei Times Editorials

Even though the #MeToo movement was started by US activist Tarana Burke in 2006, Taiwan’s political world has just begun to see its first #MeToo reckoning.

The #MeToo movement gained traction when a former gymnast accused a former coach of sexual assault while she was a junior-high student. The 2017 suicide of Lin Yi-han (林奕含), who turned her experience of alleged sexual assault by a cram school teacher into a novel, also caused an uproar.

The two incidents have encouraged other people to reveal misconduct by teachers and coaches, sparking reform in sports and education.

Taiwan faces its #MeToo moment

Sammuel Tung 董昱輝

The #MeToo movement was started by activist Tarana Burke, who coined the term in 2006. However, it gained traction in 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano urged victims of sexual harassment and assault to share their stories on social media.

Several celebrities did so, as did millions of others in the years that followed. The results were far-reaching — scores of formerly powerful men have been toppled after being accused of sexual assault and harassment, such as movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The movement is now spreading in Taiwan’s political world. The movement started after a former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) worker in an online post detailed how DPP deputy secretary-general Hsu Chia-tien (許嘉恬) poured cold water on her pleas for help after being sexually harassed and dissuaded her from seeking a full investigation into the incident.

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