TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s foreign ministry was negligent in its handling of sexual harassment within its ranks and should improve, the Control Yuan said on Thursday (Aug. 1).
The Control Yuan, Taiwan's government auditor, said in a press release that an investigation had found multiple failings in the way the foreign ministry handled a case of sexual harassment. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ handling of this case was clearly passive and negligent,” the press release said.
“Going forward, the ministry should implement a real ‘zero tolerance’ policy for sexual harassment,” it said. It added that specific gender policies that take into account those working overseas are needed.
The incident caused damage to the reputation of public servants and to the foreign ministry, the Control Yuan said. It urged the ministry to conduct a review of its practices and make improvements.
The case investigated by the Control Yuan involved a sexual harassment incident that occurred between 2017 and 2018. The investigation found a foreign affairs officer surnamed Huang (黃) sent multiple sexually explicit text and picture messages to a colleague referred to as “A (A君).”
The investigation found that A reported the incident to their division head, but no action was taken. Around five years later, A posted their story on Facebook as Taiwan’s #MeToo movement gained momentum.
The Control Yuan said it was only after A went public that the foreign ministry launched an investigation. It also said the ministry had reason to believe others were sexually harassed by Huang, but did not act on this information.
When the ministry did investigate, it determined that it was not a matter that fell under the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, because the incidents occurred outside working hours. It also determined that because the complaint was made more than a year after the incident occurred it could not investigate.
The Control Yuan pointed out that there is no time limit for complaints under the foreign ministry’s sexual harassment guidelines. It said when the foreign ministry eventually did hand Huang an official demerit, it was revoked, again with the reasoning that it was more than a year since the incident occurred.
The Control Yuan said the foreign ministry has since committed to reinstating Huang's demerit to protect the rights of the victim.
The Control Yuan’s recommendations come after the foreign ministry censured three of its diplomats for sexual harassment in October 2023, including two former heads of overseas missions.
The results of a survey released by the Modern Women’s Foundation in April found nearly 90% of people who experience sexual violence in Taiwan do not report it to police, and 40% did not seek help from any source. There were 9,413 reported cases of sexual assault in Taiwan in 2023, according to health ministry data.
