TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Modern Women’s Foundation revealed Wednesday that 6.8% of individuals in the country have been secretly recorded, according to recent statistics.
A Ministry of Health and Welfare survey on digital and online gender-based violence found that the lifetime prevalence of image-based sexual abuse in Taiwan stands at 10.4%. Of this, 6.8% involved secret recording, meaning one in every 15 individuals in Taiwan has unknowingly been photographed or filmed, per CNA.
Foundation Executive Secretary Wu Tzu-ying (吳姿瑩) said that, based on the 58 reported cases of secret filming last year, perpetrators included doctors, military personnel, teachers, engineers, and tutoring center operators. Over 95% of the offenders are male.
Filming locations span private homes, offices, schools, tutoring centers, department stores, public restrooms, hospitals, concert halls, and even on metros. In addition to using smartphones or modified cameras, offenders have been found to install pinhole cameras in public spaces or invade homes to carry out their acts.
These incidents affected almost 6,000 people last year. One case involved as many as 3,792 victims.
Judicial investigations into privacy violations and false sexual imagery show that about 3,200 suspects have been apprehended, while 1,393 cases have been handled by district prosecutors.
However, only 591 individuals were either prosecuted or had charges deferred. Less than 200 cases resulted in court convictions.
Under Taiwan's Criminal Code, those who use tools or devices to spy on or eavesdrop on others' private activities, speech, conversations, or bodily privacy, or unjustly record these through audio, photography, video, or electromagnetic devices, may face up to three years in prison, detention, or a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$9,104).
The foundation is calling on the government to amend laws to punish individuals who possess or purchase illegal adult sexual imagery. Additionally, they urge the creation of specialized personnel to handle cases of image-based sexual violence.
