522 Women's Network Anti-Sexual Harassment March

Event description

On May 22, 1994, organizations such as Awakening Foundation, Taiwan Feminist Scholars Association, and feminist societies from various universities invited people to "wear red" and participate in the "Women's Network Anti-Sexual Harassment March." The event originated from a series of sexual harassment incidents at National Tsing-Hua University and had expanded to encompass numerous cases of sexual harassment and assault across Taiwan.

The march presented eight major demands, including:

1. Schools where incidents occurred should effectively punish negligent staff.

2. Minister of Education Guo Wei-fan, shall stop down and take responsibility for his inappropriate remarks.

3. A new law shall be enacted for the prevention and handling of sexual harassment, and dedicated gender equality institutions shall be established under the school affairs council.

4. Abolish the military nursing system and professionalize counseling systems.

5. Promote gender equality courses widely.

6. To establish a campus safety system of which planning was involved by female students.

7. Change rape to a public offense.

8. Expedite the passage of the Act of Gender Equality in Employment.

During the march, participants stopped at several significant locations and staged satirical performances to express strong dissatisfaction with sexual harassment and advocate for reform. The march successfully brought the issue of sexual harassment to the policy agenda, leading to the formulation and amendment of relevant laws. Additionally, sexual rights advocate Josephoine Ho carried a banner on a megaphone-car that read "I want orgasms, not harassment," emphasizing that opposing sexual harassment doesn't mean advocating sexual repression. The message conveyed that women have sexual needs and shouldn't be passive, leaving a lasting impression on many.

Outcome

On March 30, 1999, the amendment to the law regarding rape, originally under the jurisdiction of ”No trial without complaint”, was officially reclassified as a public offense. The Act of Equality in Employment of the Two Sexes was passed and implemented in 2002 and was amended and renamed into the Act of Gender Equality in Employment on January 16th, 2008.

The "Gender Equity Education Act" was promulgated and implemented in 2004, stipulating that junior high schools and elementary schools must implement gender equity education-related courses, senior high schools and vocational schools must adopt integrated education, and colleges and universities should offer extensive courses related to gender studies. The Sexual Harassment Prevention Act was promulgated and implemented in 2005.

Participating Organizations