The Executive Yuan today passed a draft amendment to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act. It will be sent to the Legislature for deliberation.
Since the act was promulgated in 1998, the number of domestic violence reports has steadily increased, rising 10 percent per year over the last five years. While some see this as a sign domestic violence is on the rise, authorities believe the government's active efforts are encouraging more victims to contact them. In the past, the government had less involvement of such cases, but since the current reporting system came into force, a large number of cases unaddressed in the past have emerged to the surface.
Premier Jiang said the amendment is intended to extend protection to more people as a wider variety of cases are reported and strengthen protection against intergenerational abuse cycles. The targets of the legislation are increased, as are safeguards and the powers and responsibilities of the authorities. The broader scope of the law is expected to greatly decrease domestic violence cases.
Jiang urged the Ministry of the Interior to proactively coordinate with the Legislature so these new protections can be signed into law and begin safeguarding people as soon as possible.
Amendments to the Domestic Violence Prevention Act are as follows:
1. "Witnessing domestic violence" is defined. The definition of "following" is expanded. Parental education guidance is incorporated into the batterer's relocation program. (Article 2)
2. The powers and responsibilities of different competent authorities are clarified to define which supervisory authorities are in charge of which affairs. (Article 4)
3. Regulations are revised to comply with the Family Affairs Act and the establishment of a juvenile and family court. (Articles 11, 19, and 20)
4. Protection is extended to specific family members as well as children and juveniles who have witnessed family violence, so they will be placed under the umbrella of a protection order. (Article 14)
5. The effective period of an ordinary protection order is extended, and multiple applications for extension are enabled; the court is permitted to issue provisional protection orders; a protection order remains valid during appeal. (Articles 15, 16, and 20)
6. Questioning of victims by the police is required to be performed under acceptable protection and isolation measures. (Article 36)
7. Protections of victims' confidential information are added, and penalties are prescribed for breaches of such confidentiality. (Articles 50-1 and 61-1)
8. Related agencies are required to provide needed information. Regulating authorities must safeguard the confidentiality of personal information as prescribed in the Personal Information Protection Act. (Article 58)