Women and Justice: Keywords

Domestic Case Law

司法院大法官會議第617號解釋 (J.Y. Interpretation No. 617) Constitutional Court of Taiwan (2006)

Sexual violence and rape

Article 235 of the Criminal Code provides for criminal penalties for people who distribute, broadcast or sell “obscene” material, and to people who manufacture or possess obscene material “with the intent to distribute, broadcast or sell.” The Court held that the term “obscene” is not an indefinite “concept of law,” but rather includes material containing, among other things, violent or sexually abusive content. As such, the Court held that the law is a reasonable restraint on free speech and free publication. Thus, the law is constitutional and bans, among other things, material that includes violent or sexually abusive content.

刑法第235條規定對散布、播送或販賣，以及意圖散布、播送、販賣而製造、持有「猥褻」物品的人，處以刑事處罰。法院認為，「猥褻」一詞並非不確定的「法律概念」，而是包括含有暴力或性虐待等內容。於此情形，法院認為，此一法條是對言論自由和出版自由的合理限制。因此，該法律為合憲，而且禁止包含暴力或性虐待之內容。

司法院大法官會議第372號解釋 (J.Y. Interpretation No.372) Supreme Court of Taiwan (1995)

Divorce and dissolution of marriage, Domestic and intimate partner violence, Sexual violence and rape

A Supreme Court holding that "although a spouse who has suffered unbearable mistreatment in cohabitation is entitled to sue for divorce, this does not include cases where the other party temporarily loses control and overreacts to the spouse's misconduct" is not unconstitutional. To determine what constitutes "unbearable mistreatment in cohabitation," the courts should take into account the degree of the mistreatment, education levels, social status, and so on, determining if the degree of mistreatment goes beyond the violation of personal dignity and security that would be tolerated by most spouses. Even with regards to cases where a "party temporarily loses control and overreacts to the spouse's misconduct," the precedent does not exclude applying the above factors to determine whether such overreactions threaten the continuity of the marriage.

最高法院認為「雖然配偶得以不堪同居之虐待起訴請求離婚，但這並不包括另一方僅是暫時失去控制或對配偶不當行為作出過度反應的情況」並非違憲。所謂「不堪同居之虐待」，法院應考量虐待的程度、教育水平、社會地位等因素，如虐待的程度是否已超出大多數配偶所能容忍對個人尊嚴和安全的侵犯。即使是關「一方僅是暫時失去控制或對配偶不當行為作出過度反應的情況」，該判例也不排除適用上述因素以決定該過度反應是否威脅婚姻之存續。

Legislation

性侵害犯罪防治法 (Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act) (2015)

Sexual violence and rape

The Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act (the “SACPA”) defines and aims to prevent sexual assault crimes and protect the rights of victims. The SACPA sets out the responsibilities and competencies of relevant authorities which include drafting and implementing policies and regulations, supervising and investigation incidents, producing statistics of sexual assault incidents, and establishing a national archive of sexual offenders. It also prescribes several requirements, some of the more notable ones being the establishment of Sexual Assault Prevention Centers, having all students in middle and primary schools undergo at least four hours of courses on sexual assault prevention, and obliging certain personnel to report suspected sexual assault incidents within 24 hours. Sexual assault offenders are liable to pay a fine. In certain cases, they may be ordered to receive physical and psychological treatment or counseling education. Sexual assault offenders must also register their information with, and regularly report to, the police. Repeat offenders may be imprisoned or institutionalized.

性侵害犯罪防治法（即「SACPA」）定義並旨在預防性侵害犯罪及保護被害者權利。性侵害犯罪防治法訂定相關主管機關的責任及權限，包括擬定和執行政策及法規、監督和調查事件、製作性侵害事件的統計數據，以及建立性侵害犯罪者的國家資料庫。該法還規定了幾項要求，其中較為引人注目的是建立性侵害預防中心，讓所有國中和國小學生接受至少4小時的性侵害預防課程，並要求特定人員在至少24小時內報告可疑的性侵事件。性侵害犯罪者有支付罰金的責任。在某些情況下，他們可能被命令接受身體和心理治療或諮詢教育。性侵害犯罪者還必須向警方登記其相關資訊，並定期向警方報備。累犯者可能會被處以有期徒刑或施以機構性處遇。

性別平等教育法 (Gender Equity Education Act) (2018)

Gender discrimination, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence and rape

The Gender Equity Education Act (the “GEEA”) aims to encourage respect for gender diversity, eliminate gender discrimination and promote substantive gender equality through education. The GEEA charges the competent authorities (as well as schools) with establishing gender equity education committees whose tasks include drafting regulations and policies, coordinating resources, supervising gender equity-related activities and promoting research and development of curricula, teaching and assessments. Under the GEEA, schools must provide a safe, gender-fair learning environment by respecting, giving due consideration to, and not discriminating against prospective students, students, faculty, and staff of different genders. Schools shall strive towards this objective by taking steps such as integrating gender equity education into their curriculum, providing gender equity education when training new staff members, reporting known incidents of sexual assault, sexual harassment or sexual bullying within 24 hours and promptly handling and investigating such cases. Schools and any principal, faculty or staff member found to be in violation of the GEEA may be subject to a fine. Persons may also be dismissed or discharged from employment.

性別平等教育法（即「GEEA」）旨在鼓勵尊重性別多樣性，消除性別歧視，並透過教育促進實質性別平等。性別平等教育法責成主管機關（以及學校）建立性別平等教育委員會，其任務包括擬定法規和政策，協調資源，監督與性別平等有關的活動，並促進課程、教學和評估的研究及發展。根據性別平等教育法，學校必須透過尊重、適當考慮及不歧視不同性別的潛在學生、學生、教職員工等方式，提供一個安全、性別平等的學習環境。學校應努力實現這一目標，採取的措施包括：將性別平等教育納入課程、在培訓新員工時提供性別平等教育、在24小時之內報告已知的性侵、性騷擾或性霸凌事件，並及時處理和調查此類案件。任何被發現違反性別平等教育法的學校、校長、教職員工可能會被處以罰鍰。該等人員也可能被開除或解聘。