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Taiwan is one of the few countries that equips legislation to regulate sexual harassment both in schools and in the workplace. However, women and men who reported sexual harassment are still considered as ¡®troublemakers¡¯, and victim blaming is also prevalent. Sexual harassment cases therefore are underreported and even dismissed without proper procedure. Nonetheless, the unique writing style of Taiwan¡¯s #MeToo posts, always detailed the sexual misconducts of the perpetrators, and how victims were shocked and failed to move their bodies, also let women who read the posts could revisit the memories and emotions (e.g. anger, anxiety, fear, pain, and shame) surrounding sexual harassments, and thus strongly felt that they ¡®have to do something¡¯ for themselves and for helping other women. Therefore, they shared these posts, attended #MeToo forums, created the name-and-shame lists of perpetrators and organized #MeToo march. In this sense, the #MeToo movement serves to build up an emotional community in which women not only speak for themselves but also take collective actions to make the perpetrators accountable.?

Mei-Hua Chen is Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professor of the Department of Sociology at National Sun Yat-Sen University. Her research interests including women¡¯s work in body work, and non-conforming intimacies in Taiwan. Recently her research has concentrated on migration and sexuality.

Afternoon tea will be provided at 3:15pm.  the 2024 ºÚÁÏÌìÌÃTaiwan Update Program.

Photo Courtesy of ÀøÜ°»ù½ð»á The Garden of Hope Foundation