Taiwan Faces a #MeToo Wave, Set Off by a Netflix Hit
In the past few weeks, a wave of #MeToo allegations has raced to the very top of Taiwan’s political, judicial and arts scenes, forcing a new reckoning of the state of women’s rights.
Nearly every day, fresh allegations emerge, setting off discussions on talk shows and on social media, with newspaper commentaries and activist groups calling for stronger protections for victims.
The flood of new sexual harassment accusations points to what activists and scholars say is entrenched sexism that leaves women vulnerable at work, and a culture that is quick to blame victims and cover up accusations against powerful men.
The outpouring of complaints was set off by a popular Netflix drama called “Wave Makers,” which featured a subplot about a female member of a political party telling her boss that she had been sexually harassed by a party member. Her boss promises to help her report the harassment, and in an indication of how often such politically inconvenient complaints are ignored, says, “Let’s not just let this go this time.”
That quote from the fictional supervisor became a clarion call, inspiring more than 100 accusers, mostly women, to speak out on social media, sharing their accounts of unwanted kisses, groping and in a few cases, attempted rape. They described the indignities endured at the workplace, including inappropriate touching and unwanted advances by male colleagues and bosses, as well as lewd comments. Some of their posts have been shared thousands of times.
Allegations have also been made against men across Taiwan’s society more broadly, including in academia, journalism, and most recently, entertainment.
Mickey Huang, a TV personality, apologized after being accused by a woman he met at work of kissing her without her consent and forcing her to be photographed nude. Aaron Yan, a pop star, apologized after an ex-boyfriend accused him of secretly shooting videos of them having sex, when the ex-boyfriend was 16, a minor. Local prosecutors said this week they would investigate the allegation.
In some ways, the #MeToo movement points to a generational shift in attitudes brought about by the hard-fought advances won by women’s rights activists in decades past. Taiwan’s younger generation started learning about gender equality in elementary school, as part of curriculum changes enacted in 2004, and have since come of age.
But workplaces are struggling to keep pace.
Taiwan’s younger generation has “a higher awareness of gender diversity and equality than the older generation,” said Wei-Ting Yen, an assistant professor of government at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. “However, the workplace that young people are entering is still dominated by the older generation.”
Women’s rights groups have called for Taiwan to extend the statute of limitations for sexual harassment complaints, currently at one year.
But activists also say more needs to be done to address the culture of sexism that underlies the misconduct and deters many women from speaking out. A survey last year showed that only a tiny percentage of female respondents who said they had encountered sexual harassment at work had filed complaints. Activists and scholars in Taiwan say that men in power, whether they are supervisors in workplaces or police officers or judges, are often seen as sympathetic toward other men in power, and likely to blame the victim.
生词记录
allegation 指责，指控
judicial 司法的，审判的
reckoning 估计，估算，计算；最后审判日，算总账
harassment 骚扰
entrench 根深蒂固的
outpouring 倾泻，流露，迸发
subplot 次要情节
quote 引用，引述，援引
clarion call 号召，召唤
grope 摸索，搜寻；猥亵
indignity 无礼，侮辱，轻蔑
advance 挑逗，勾引，追求
lewd 淫秽的，色情的，下流的
personality 性格，个性；名人，名流
consent 同意
nude 裸体的；肉色的
minor 未成年人；辅修科目
prosecutor 检察官；原告律师
hard-fought 艰苦奋斗得来的
curriculum 课程
enact 颁布；通过，实施，制定；表演
diversity 多样化
dominate 占主导地位
statute 法令，规则
underlie 是···的深层原因；对···有重大影响
misconduct 失职，处理不当，行为不端
deter 阻止，威慑
file 提起诉讼；提出申请，送交备案
sympathetic 同情的；支持的，赞同的
