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#MeToo in Taiwan: ‘If we keep our voices loud, the movement will never die’

AngelSun
Woman holding paper that says "me too".

TW: Sexual Assault

Angel Sun

Wave Makers, a Taiwanese political drama on Netflix, has ignited a #MeToo movement in the country six years after the campaign first began. This wave of allegations reveals major systemic issues, preventing sexual assault victims from even getting to court.

Wave Makers causes ripples 

“We can’t let things go easily. Otherwise, we’ll wither away and die.”

Released in April 2023, Wave Makers is a Taiwanese political drama. In an episode of Wave Makers, Ya-ching Chang, a staffer of the ‘Justice Party’, is afraid to report the workplace harassment she has endured. 

Wen-fang Weng, a spokesperson for the party, consoles her and encourages her to reveal the truth on the phone: “We can’t let things go easily. Otherwise, we’ll wither away and die.”  

#MeToo has only just been ignited on the Southeast Asian island, with this now-iconic scene triggering a wave of sexual harassment allegations, despite the movement beginning six years ago.

There are accusations against politicians like the president’s national policy advisor, an elementary school principal, and a former media executive.

The recent wave of #MeToo allegations highlights gender inequality issues in Taiwanese society. On one hand, it reveals the systemic flaws in the Taiwanese judicial system that make investigations into sexual assault difficult. On the other hand, it proves that the general public is growing empathetic to both male and female sexual violence victims. 

Flaws in the system

According to Taiwan’s Act of Gender Equality in Employment, enterprises over the size of 30 people must establish a Gender Equality Committee. Workers who experience sexual assault should first report the case to the committee, which is then responsible for investigating the cases and deciding whether to report the case to the judiciary. 

Therefore, victims would struggle to seek help from the committee or other senior colleagues if they were assaulted by their seniors. Equally, their complaints will amount to little if members of the committee do not intend to tackle workplace violence.

Chen Chien-jou, the first #MeToo accuser in Taiwan, is a prime example. The former staffer of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) posted on Facebook about her experience of being sexually harassed in the workplace. 

After reporting the incident to her female supervisor, she was told to bury the claim. Her supervisor was Hsu Chia-tien, the DPP’s women’s affairs director at the time. 

“The storm spread from the world of politics to academia, sport, and cultural sectors.”

Her statement drew an outpour of support online. Public outrage against the DPP led to the suspension of Hsu, who resigned the following year.

William Lai, the DPP’s chairman and presidential candidate, later apologised to the public and promised that there would be “zero tolerance” for sexual harassment within the party.

The allegation sparked over 15 accusations involving high-profile politicians in less than two weeks. The storm spread from the world of politics to academia, sport, and cultural sectors. The outpour of online testimonies and resignations from powerful men such as the former diplomat Liu Shih-Chieh, mirror those at the start of the #MeToo movement.

Whilst it may have seemed that the movement had run its course, these recent allegations in Taiwan remind us that sexual assault is not yet a thing of the past.

Problematic Treatment of Victims

The process of reporting sexual harassment in Asia is still more difficult than in the Western world due to higher levels of gender inequality.

For instance, Japanese journalist Shiori Ito filed a lawsuit against a senior television reporter to pay damages for sexually assaulting her in 2017. Ito was heavily criticised by the public and threats were made against her life before she won the lawsuit in 2022.

Fearing backlash from Asian society, Taiwanese survivors are more cautious in coming forward than their Western counterparts. Most of their social media posts gave a vague description of the perpetrator, sometimes only naming them through a single, English letter.

For example, a social media user accused a popular Taiwanese TV show host of sexually assaulting her when she was 17. Users later uncovered that the individual was Mickey Huang, one of the most popular TV hosts in Taiwan. He later admitted to the accusation and blamed his past behaviour on a difficult childhood. 

‘It is not a war against men’

The movement is not only for women. #MeToo founder Tarana Burke stressed to the BBC: “This is not a war against men. We can’t make the changes that we need unless we have everybody engaged.”

And the new #MeToo wave in Taiwan has not only highlighted gender inequality in Asia but has also shed light on the male victims of sexual violence. 

As of June, two male victims have come forward in Taiwan. Unlike previous male survivors, whose accusations were treated with scepticism, Taiwanese victims have received widespread public support. 

Public Reaction

Although the MeToo wave arrived late in Taiwan, and the legal system continues to fail victims, the public reaction to these accusations shows how far the country has come regarding sexual assault. 

On the whole, in this recent wave, Taiwanese citizens haven’t reacted to these allegations by judging or questioning the victims. Instead, most have expressed gratitude and support.

One commented: “Thank you for sharing your experience.” Another said: “Thank you for your bravery.” Someone else said: “I want to give you a virtual hug”. 

“The silver lining is, although its overdue, progress is happening in Taiwan.”

Certainly, in Taiwan, the public has become more empathetic and less judgemental, appreciating the survivors’ bravery in voicing their experiences. Comments have shifted in tone from critical to consoling, emphasising the importance of victims sharing their stories.

Despite the legal challenges victims face, the Taiwanese public has offered more support to male and female victims than could be seen six years ago.

The silver lining is, although its overdue, progress is taking place in Taiwan.

Gender inequality is still a problem in Taiwan, as in the rest of the world. But as long as we do not let things go, and keep our voices loud, the movement will never die.  

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Featured image courtesy of Mihai Surdu on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.          

Second-year studying BA History at the University of Warwick. Come from Hong Kong, curious to learn about everything interesting :)

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