Under the revised laws, immediate action – such as an investigation – must be taken by superiors, supervisors or managers of any organisation to handle harassment complaints made by colleagues and staff. Failure to do so will be subject to a fine of NT$20,000 to NT$1 million.
Any organisation with a staff of 10 to 29 must set up a complaint system to deal with sexual harassment allegations, as was already required for those with more than 30 employees.
But complaints will not be accepted for cases dating back 10 years or more.
The legislation also bars media outlets, individuals or groups from revealing the personal data of victims. A fine of up to NT$600,000 applies for doing so.
Tsai has apologised twice over cases of sexual misconduct and assault that were alleged to have happened while she was head of the party. One of her senior advisers was implicated in one case and a retired judge in another, though both have denied the accusations.
The island’s leader pledged to revise the legislation to better protect victims and toughen penalties for perpetrators.
DPP presidential candidate William Lai has brought in gender equality training for party members. Photo: Reuters
Facing harsh criticism from his opponents, DPP presidential candidate William Lai Ching-te – who took over from Tsai as head of the party in January – also called for reform to improve party discipline and ensure that all sexual harassment allegations are handled appropriately.
Vice-President Lai, who remains ahead in the polls, has also brought in gender equality training for party members.
The wave of #MeToo cases emerged in late May when a former DPP staffer posted allegations on social media about a filmmaker working on a promotional project for the party. She also accused a DPP executive of covering up her complaint, leading to the resignation of that executive.
Sexual harassment claims have also been made against academics, television pundits, exiled mainland Chinese dissidents, former diplomats, judicial officials and celebrities.
