The international review of the fourth national report on the implementation of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) wrapped up Dec. 2 in Taipei City, highlighting Taiwan’s efforts to ensure women’s rights on all fronts.
A panel of five foreign experts held discussions with 418 officials and 119 nongovernmental organization representatives about women’s rights policies introduced between 2017 and 2020. A report comprising 86 comments and recommendations for strengthening related measures was released at the conclusion of the five-day review.
In the report, the panel praised Taiwan’s commitment to protecting women’s human rights and promoting gender equality. The regular legal reviews undertaken by the Executive Yuan’s Department of Gender Equality since 2012 are commendable, the report said, adding that the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission is another praiseworthy development.
One highlight of the recommendations for the government is to develop effective measures to prevent all forms of violence, including domestic violence against women. Authorities should allocate sufficient budgetary resources and train personnel to tackle the problem while regularly collecting and publishing relevant data, it said.
Equally important is to improve the parental leave system. According to the report, such a system must be designed to create incentives for fathers to take on more parental responsibility while entitling mothers to longer maternity leave than the present eight weeks.
Other suggestions include issues spanning abortion and sex education; childcare services; divorce mediation; gender pay gap; livelihood, property and economic opportunities for rural women; protection of foreign domestic workers; sexual harassment; and the rights of women with disabilities.
During a press conference staged by the EY, Minister without Portfolio and EY Spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng said the relevant ministries and agencies will incorporate such comments and recommendations into policy adjustments and future initiatives to boost progress on women’s rights.
Adopted by the U.N. in 1979, CEDAW has become one of the most important international codes for protecting women’s rights. Although Taiwan is not a signatory to the convention, an enforcement act was adopted by the Legislative Yuan in 2011 and took effect the following year. (YCH-E)
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