The Conditions of Abused Women in Taiwan after Two Decades of Enactment of the Domestic Violence Act
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This article is part of the 29th issue of LEAP — Voices of Youth e-letter. Subscribe now.
In 1993, an incident of a woman killing her abusive husband not only sparke
d discussion in Taiwanese society, but also led to the enactment of Taiwan’s Domestic Violence Prevention Act in June 1999 (hereafter referred to as the “Domestic Violence Act”). This marked the first establishment of a system to protect victims of domestic violence.
As the issue of violence draws public attention, the government has been continuing to promote domestic violence prevention. In addition to legislation to protect victims of domestic violence, non-governmental organizations have also been building more comprehensive service systems to support the victims in more rigorous and specific ways. In Taiwan, about 66% of victims of violence by intimate partners are women, and 90% of intimate partner violence occur in marriages.
As the public and private sectors collaborate to build a social security net over two decades after passage of the Domestic Violence Act, how have the conditions and statistics of abused women changed? Are there any other needs that should be addressed to help them survive the abuse?
As Abused Women Now Seek Help at Younger Ages, Financial Status and Child Rearing Become Main Issues
As the director of the Garden of Hope Foundation’s Linkou Service Center and Social Work Department, Yu-Hua Lee has served numerous abused women on the frontline for many years. When Lee first began doing shelter-related work over 20 years ago, the age of abused women mostly fell in the 40- to 45-year age category. “That was a time when the Domestic Violence Act had just recently passed. Many women silently endured violent relationships for a long time before finally asking for help, and only after their children grew up.”
She recalls meeting a woman who stayed in a violent relationship for very long before coming forward for help. “An elderly lady once told me that getting beaten up is a way of “paying the debt” because a fortune-teller told her to endure 108 times before fully paying off her debt.”
“The victims in more recent cases no longer endure so much violence as they tend to ask for help with less hesitation. Most of them are between the 30- and 40-year age group. As a result, partner relationships are more likely to be improved and violence can be intervened earlier.”
However, new problems also emerged with the observed decrease in age groups. “The age of children experiencing domestic violence also decreased. Statistics from the last decade showed that 83% of children experiencing domestic violence are under the age of 12. Caretaking is highly stressful since elementary school and preschool children each accounted for half of these children.” As Yu-Hua expressed, the cost of daycare is quite high for children below elementary school age. Without sufficient resources, it is difficult for abused women to take care of children on their own. That is why many women return to their original abuse-filled environments.
Based on research and years of practical experience, the Garden of Hope Foundation perceives financial assistance and childcare as two essential services that help abused women escape from violence and reduce the frequency of abuse. Nevertheless, most women are often bound by constraints, such as employment status, age, and education level when applying for the government’s low income assistance and child subsidies. Furthermore, women working weekend or night shifts also need to take childcare into consideration.
Seeking help is only the first step. There are many challenges to overcome for abused women to gradually return to a normal life.
The Proportion of New Immigrant Women
New immigrant women account for a specific proportion of abused women in Taiwan. Statistically speaking, new immigrant women in Taiwan account for about 3% of all abused women in recent years despite their small population size. They are a more vulnerable group who “do not have family, friends, or support systems to help them cope. They also do not have alternative options.” In Yu-Hua’s opinion, new immigrant women are also constrained by language barriers. Without family and friends in Taiwan, they barely have anyone close to discuss or seek help from if they experience domestic abuse.
In addition, the law requires immigrant spouses to be in Taiwan for at least 3 years before they are granted citizenship and national identification cards. To new immigrant women, they must stay beyond this period of legal residence to obtain child custody and leave an abusive environment. “They tend to be very tough when making judgements and decisions. We also tell them how to protect themselves.”
After accepting shelter placement, new immigrant women often confront many challenges in the process of starting a new life. Some examples include a lack of job skill competency or even less childcare resources, employers refusing to hire abused women, etc. As a result, both public and private sectors must carefully allocate social resources to protect new immigrant women from being isolated.
The New Social Housing Service Connects Shelters to the Outside World
The shelter placement service offers abused women temporary relief from perpetrators of domestic violence. However, it is extremely challenging to raise children, develop financial independence, and build trustworthy relationships with others in such a closed and temporary space.
These challenges led to an experimental service in Taiwan that integrates “social housing” and support systems for abused women.Through a model of collaboration between government facilities and non-profit organizations’ tenancy, shelters that adopt social housing not only pave the last mile for abused women to return to society, but also give them a more home-like space.
Also in This Issue:
From Shelters to Social Housing — A Space Where Abused Women Can Grow a Sense of Subjectivity
Not just free of fear and violence, a new service at Linkou social housing wants to make domestic violence survivors feel like home.
Author : Evelyn Yang
Freelance writer / Graduate student in Journalism
