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Stalking and Harassment Prevention
According to UN data, stalking and harassment are among the most significant personal safety threats to women worldwide. In our 2014 survey on intimate partner violence victims and stalking, an alarming 78% of the respondents reported experiencing stalking. Among them, 45.9% endured stalking for over a year, and nearly 25% for more than three years. Another survey conducted by our organization in 2014 revealed that 12.4% of young female students had encountered stalking and harassment.
Stalking is a goal-oriented violent behavior where perpetrators employ various methods to track and harass their victims relentlessly, causing them to live in constant fear and feel a loss of control over their lives. Most importantly, stalking and harassment are often precursors to serious crimes, highly correlated with life-threatening danger—it must be taken very seriously.
Stalking and harassment exhibit four key characteristics: high incidence, high danger, high fear, and high harm. They have a profoundly destructive and dangerous impact on the daily lives and mental and physical well-being of victims. Current regulations in our country lack effective legal measures for prevention and punishment. Professional understanding of the nature, patterns, recognition indicators, and coping strategies related to stalking is still in its infancy, leaving much work to be done in assisting victims of stalking and harassment. Therefore, since 2012, our organization has been continuously addressing gender-based violence and stalking-related policy and practical issues through media campaigns, professional training, and legislative advocacy, striving to give a voice to stalking victims and protect their rights.
Intimate partner tracking and prevention
In 2012, our organization compiled the "Real Safety Real Freedom - Intimate Partner Stalking Prevention Manual" for use by professionals in the field of intimate partner violence prevention. Additionally, we created the pamphlet "Have You Been Stalked? Anti-Intimate Partner Stalking Guidelines" for reference by stalking victims or their loved ones.
We conducted two sessions of "Professional Training on Intimate Partner Stalking Prevention" to enhance the sensitivity of frontline professionals to victims of stalking behavior and prevent severe violence.
Hold international seminars
In 2016, we organized the "Impact, Strategies, and Legislation of Stalking and Harassment Prevention - International Seminar and Practical Workshop on Child and Adolescent Gender Violence Prevention Trends." We invited experts and scholars from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan to speak on the latest trends, legal systems, measures, and practical strategies for dealing with stalking and harassment.
Taiwanese Version of SHARP
In 2015, in collaboration with Dr. T. K. Logan from the University of Kentucky in the United States, we introduced the Stalking and Harassment Assessment and Risk Pattern (SHARP) and translated it into Chinese, creating the "Taiwanese Version of SHARP." This tool provides practical guidance for security strategies and effectively enhances personal safety protection.
In 2016, we held four "Practical Workshops" to teach professionals how to effectively use SHARP, helping victims analyze risks, formulate stalking and harassment prevention strategies, and implement effective safety plans.
Press conferences and petition launches
To raise awareness about the severity of stalking and harassment issues among the government and the general public, we have been organizing press conferences and initiating petition actions since 2014 to promote the passage of the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act. We hope that the government will quickly enact this law, clarify the definition of stalking crimes, so that they prevent stalking crimes, and safeguard public safety.
Legal system promotes
In 2014, we convened a team of experts and scholars to draft the "Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act." After a year of effort, in 2016, together with Commissioner Chih-yang Wu, we held a "Public Hearing on the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act." We gathered opinions from various stakeholders, solidified legislative consensus and direction, and specified regulations to address stalking and harassment problems in society. The bill is currently awaiting review in the Internal Affairs Committee.
With the efforts of the Modern Women's Foundation and civil society, the Taiwan Stalking Prevention Act was passed in the legislature and officially enacted on June 1, 2022.