The SDGs place special emphasis on gender equality, believing that all Goals are related to gender equality. Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations stated, “gender equality is the stepping stone to realizing the 2030 Development Agenda.” In 1996, the City formed Committee of Women’s Rights Promotion, and in 2014, further set up Office for Gender Equality. In order to promote and realize the goal of gender equality, the City implemented policies on three facets, including personal safety and health promotion, economic empowerment of females, and participation in decision-making. At the same time, eliminated gender stereotypes and improved gender disparities and other cultural customs, and implemented gender equality and promote women participation.
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decisionmaking in political, economic and public life.
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences.
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.
To provide the society with correct concepts of prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, resources such as the Internet, printed materials, electronic media, outdoor media, radio station insertions, program interviews and short films are integrated, and various publicity campaigns are conducted. To meet the requirements of new immigrants, multi-language versions have been prepared and a QR code has been added, to allow the public to scan the code and browse relevant information on the website.
In 2019, 127 sessions of publicity campaigns for domestic violence prevention was conducted, including press conferences, dynamic and static campaigns and troupe campaigns. Additionally, 23 sexual assault prevention campaigns, 27 neighborhood workshops were conducted to promote the fundamental concept of “ONLY YES MEANS YES; without consent is sexual assault”, and one “424 International Denim Day” sexual assault prevention press conference and seminar was held.
Using popular forms of multimedia of publicity advertisements and short films, increase the exposure rate through network platforms and media, and extend the promotion target to all ages to enhance the effectiveness of crime prevention promotion. For new immigrants, males and females and teenagers, make use of “Sister Jenny”, the official Facebook fan page of the Women’s and Children’s Protection Division under Taipei City Police Department, to handle various promotional activities. Each district office, when holding activities, meetings or social welfare knowledge workshops for officials, also incorporate the promotion of relevant domestic violence prevention information, so to convey the correct concepts.
Meanwhile, to provide colleagues as will as the general public with sound sexual harassment prevention concepts, the City has carried out hands-on programs aiming at such topics through educational & training programs and multiple publicity channels. In 2019, the City sponsored a total of 27 sessions of sexual harassment prevention and education training programs. The target trainees include colleagues from various agencies of the City Government that undertake sexual harassment affairs and management purposes, the City’s short-term-study schools (known as “buxiban education” as pronounced in Chinese), the family protection officials, medical treatment service providers, rehabus drivers of the entire City. The City sponsored one press conference focusing on "Safe Taxi Ride Absolutely free of a potential Sexual Harassment”. In addition, toward taxi drivers (taxistas) of the entire City, we held 28 sessions of sexual harassment prevention and control campaigns. Through hands-on case scenarios and emphasis on the importance of prevention of sexual harassment for personal safety, the City has educated those taxi drivers into the sound awareness of not becoming a perpetrator of a sexual harassment case.
Breast cancer ranks number one in cancer incidence among female cancers; the mortality rate ranks number four among female cancers. Through integrating medical institutions, workplaces and communities, breast cancer screening notifications, inspections and referrals for women of appropriate age and breast cancer high risk groups are provided. Then collaborate with private cancer prevention organizations, to hold joint press conferences and issue press releases, and print cancer prevention promotion leaflets and posters. As well, promote breast cancer prevention through social network, City Line groups and radio broadcasts, to remind female resident to undergo regular screening, follow through healthy lifestyles. In 2019, the rate of women between 45 and 69 to undergo mammography screenings within the past two years reached 47.68%.
Integrate the social unit, the health unit, the civil unit and the education unit, and set up a single contact window to provide teenage pregnancy case management services. To prevent teenage pregnancy, the Department of Social Welfare in 2019 conducted 91 student-parent group courses and 4 education trainings for the staff.
To find out about the protection of the right to education and counseling assistance for pregnant students, the Education Bureau conducts “multiple preventive education model for teenage pregnancy” workshops annually. At the same time, the undertaking school of the City’s Committee on Gender Equality Education prevention group handles incidences of sexual assault, sexual harassment or sexual bullying in schools, counseling strategies and outcome evaluation for underage pregnancy and education training seminars. For underage postnatal women residing in the City, home visits will be conducted by Health Centers from the 12 districts or entrusted professional organizations, to provide postnatal care, health educations and maternity care services. If cases require social welfare services, referrals to the Department of Social Welfare will be made. The completion rate reached 100% in 2019.
Indicate on “Application for Collection of Custodial Money from Expropriation Compensation” that both men and women have the right to inheritance, and through press releases, promotional leaflets, posters and various seminars, promote heritage inheritance is regardless of gender in order to minimize the gap between men and women in the inheritance of land and property. By increasing the proportion of females inheriting land and property, gender equality in heritage inheritance is implemented.
To protect the rights and interests of labors and to improve workplace-friendly environment, so that business units will attach importance to gender equality in the workplace. “Taipei City Workplace Gender Equality Index” was implemented in 2018, to assist enterprises in the promotion of gender equality. Through the implementation indicators, review all aspects of gender equality awareness within the enterprise, and guide enterprises into adjusting existing mechanisms to improve gender equality.
Since 2019, relevant indicator manuals had been made to conduct publicity meetings, challenge camps and other activities, so that the City’s business units will have a better understanding of the meanings behind the seven indicators. Meanwhile, a certification label will be designed to symbolize gender equality in the workplace. In the future, the business units achieving certain levels will be awarded the certificate, which will enhance corporate image.
In addition to promoting “gender equality at birth” to let the public understand that “boys and girls are just as good, they are all born as treasures”, to change the patriarchal concept, and to hold seminars on medical ethics and laws of artificial reproduction and gender at birth ratios, to increase the professional knowledge and skills of relevant laws and medical ethics of staff in delivery medical institutions, artificial reproduction institutions and medical inspection institutions. At the same time, the 12-administrative district health service center handles the “birth sex ratio community outreach”, randomly checks the satisfaction questionnaire, and fills in the comments to give positive comments, such as “like various topics of lectures”, “men and women equality is very important and should be promoted more often.” Also, organize “my grandchild, my precious baby” event on “Humans of Taipei”, the official Facebook fan page of the city government, to raise the elder's awareness for gender equality at birth. Posters “boys or girls, my grandchild is my precious baby” are provided to delivery medical institutions and maternity inspection institutions for promotional posting.
To cope with problems of declining birthrates and aging population, city government employees will not need to quit their jobs or increase pressure because they need to care for their families. Therefore, the current flexible work policy is expanded, and in accordance with Article 19 in Act of Gender Equality in Employment, working hours are reduced to create workplace-friendly environment by balancing work and family.