TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it handled a sexual harassment case in line with relevant regulations on Sunday (Aug. 4), after a government report said it was negligent and did not investigate the claims properly.

The Control Yuan, Taiwan's government auditor, said on Thursday (Aug. 1) that the foreign ministry was “clearly passive and negligent” in its handling of sexual assault that occurred within its ranks between 2017 and 2018. 

The investigation found that the incident was reported, but no action was taken by the ministry until the accuser went public with the information around five years later.

In response to the Control Yuan report, the foreign ministry told CNA that the complaint was handled according to the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, the Administrative Penalty Act, and its internal regulations.

Because the complaint involved an incident that occurred outside the country and was made more than a year after the incident occurred, the complaint was not accepted, the foreign ministry said.

The foreign ministry said it respects the Control Yuan report and will act on the recommendations. It will strengthen sexual harassment prevention efforts among its staff and explain complaint mechanisms to foreign and domestic personnel, it added.

There were 9,413 reported cases of sexual assault in Taiwan in 2023, according to health ministry data. 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.