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1987
As Taiwan's martial law was lifted and socio-political movements flourished, civil groups concerned with human trafficking and gender violence were established one after another, continuing to promote gender equality.
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1988
The “Rescuing Child Prostitutes March” was initiated by the public. The movement urged legislation for children's and youth’s rights that aroused social concern and discussion.
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1993
The Deng Ru-wen Case, caused by long-term domestic violence, prompted Taiwanese society to start paying more attention to the issue of domestic violence.
The annual Women Make Waves International Film Festival in Taiwan is the earliest issue-focused film festival in the country, dedicated to female talents and perspectives.
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1994
Two female high school students committed suicide, but the campus and public narratives avoided discussions about their relationship, reflecting society’s conservative attitude toward homosexuality at that time.
The first feminist bookstore in the Chinese-speaking world, Fembooks, became a knowledge-sharing hub.
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1995
Witch House was founded to provide a women-centered gathering space and has become a cradle for indie music in Taiwan, with performers and creative content rich in local themes.
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1996
At the end of the year, the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act was passed and enacted in the next year in response to civil advocacy.
The revised Civil Code part IV: Family removed provisions such as “the wife must take the husband's surname,” “custody of children after divorce granted to the father,” and “the wife's property after marriage belongs to the husband.”
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1996
The murder of Feminist Peng Wan-ru prompted women's groups in Taiwan to organize a nighttime march, Women’s Rights Light the Night, demanding the government prioritize women's safety.
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1997
The Committee of Women's Rights Promotion was established by the Executive Yuan, which includes relevant ministers, advocates, and experts, urging government legislation and policies for women's rights.
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1998
The Domestic Violence Prevention Act was implemented, making Taiwan the first Asian country to legislate against domestic violence. Recently, the number of reported cases has increased, indicating a greater public awareness of seeking intervention and assistance.
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1998
The Foundation for Women's Rights Promotion and Development was established to facilitate public-private cooperation as a platform for resource exchange.
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1999
The Domestic Violence Prevention Committee was founded, integrating resources from the judiciary, healthcare, education, and police to assist victims, counsel offenders, and train professionals.
The Regulations Governing the Prevention of Sexual Assault on Campus were promulgated, requiring schools to set up mechanisms for handling incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault and access to grievance procedures.
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1999
The first LGBTQ+ theme bookstore in Chinese-speaking regions, Gin Gin, became a cultural voice for the gender minority.
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2000
Taiwan elected its first female vice president, Annette Lu Hsiu-lien, who has long been involved in Taiwan's democratization movements as a feminist.
To restore the historical facts of comfort women during WWII and reclaim their dignity and justice, Taiwanese civil society participated in the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal in Japan.
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2002
The government enacted the Gender Equality in Employment Act for gender equality in workplaces, against unequal pay, gender discrimination in recruitment processes, and workplace sexual harassment, further improving women's working conditions.
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2003
The first Taiwan Pride was held for LGBTQ+ human rights, anti-stigma, and public gender awareness. The annual event in October has since become the pride parade with the most participants in Asia.
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2004
The formulation of the Gender Equality Education Act was facilitated by the Rose Boy incident in 2000. Since then, schools have been required to systemize gender-inclusive education and processes addressing sexual incidents to build a safe and fair learning environment.
Note: The Rose Boy, Yeh Yung-chih, was bullied due to his gender expression on campus.
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2005
The ‘proportion of female members in legislative seats must not be less than 50%’ was specified in the constitutional amendment. Recent data shows that women's visibility and influence in the political arena have significantly increased.
To complete sexual harassment prevention in all settings, the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act took effect to support other context-specific legal acts.
To allow both parents to agree on their children’s surnames, the Parents and Children Chapter Civil Code was revised. However, affected by social convention, bearing the mother’s surname is still rare in Taiwan.
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2008
Sponsored by the government, the Taiwan National Women's Center was founded to promote gender equality and women's rights advocacy with educational purposes.
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2009
The Employment Insurance Act added a provision for parental leave benefits, allowing both parents of children under 3 to apply for up to 6 months leave.
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2011
The amended Social Order Maintenance Act legalized the sex industry’s operation within ‘sex trade zones’.
This established a legal base for managing related sectors and protecting workers' rights; however, as of now, no such ‘zones’ have been set up. -
2012
After evaluation by the international committee board in 2009, CEDAW was incorporated into domestic legislation as the foundation to actualize gender equality policies in Taiwan.
The Department of Gender Equality in the Executive Yuan was established as a centralized coordinator, launching programs for gender equality and women’s rights.
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2014
Taiwan International Queer Film Festival was founded, aiming to present contemporary diverse gender identities and expressions.
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2015
The highest financial regulatory authority in Taiwan incorporated female director indicators into the evaluation of listed companies, pushing the agenda on women’s entry into corporate decision-making levels.
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2016
The first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, was elected. Her leadership during the pandemic earned her a spot on the Forbes list of the world's 100 most powerful women in 2021.
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2019
The Taiwan same-sex marriage has since been applied to the Civil Code; regulations for cross-national registration were further permitted in 2023 and 2024.
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2019
Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. A milestone of gender equality and human rights, facilitating societal acceptance of gender diversity.
Taiwan Trans March was initialized and held annually on the day before the Taiwan Pride. This event aims to promote inclusion and raise public awareness of the transgender community’s situation.
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2021
To encourage men to share childcare responsibilities, the provisions on parental leave benefits now allow both parents to apply at the same time. An additional month of subsidies has been planned to address workplace challenges faced by women due to childcare.
Listed companies are requested to disclose progress in gender equality policies to enhance private sectors’ gender equality awareness.
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2023
#MeToo outbreaks in Taiwan shook society with widespread public concerns since influential public figures in politics, media, education, and show business were involved.
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2023
The legislative revisions of the Criminal Code, Crime Victim Protection Act, Sexual Assault Prevention Act, and Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act aim to strengthen frameworks for GBV prevention, offenders’ reoffending, and victim protection.
For sustainable corporate governance, listed companies are required to appoint at least one director of a different gender to their boards.
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2024
To ensure children are protected from sexual abuse, the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act was passed, increasing penalty severity for the possession and purchase of child sexual imagery.
The Gender Equity Education Act explicitly defines "sexual harassment based on power dynamics" to protect students’ vulnerability in teacher-pupil relationships.