Safeguards of sexual privacy need updateBy Chao Hsuey-wen 趙萃文Acts of online gender-based violence in which sexual images have been taken without consent, or through threats or violence, have increasingly been appearing in the media, showing how victims’ privacy rights are breached, as well as the pain they undergo and the damage done to their reputations. They include a new chapter added to the Criminal Code on offenses against sexual privacy and fake sexual images. Although the period of compulsory treatment for sexual assault has been amended so that it can be regularly extended without a limit on the number of times, it is not applicable to those who breach people’s sexual privacy, or make or distribute fake sexual images, as this would be unreasonable. This legislative loophole needs to be fixed as soon as possible to demonstrate the government’s determination to crack down on crimes against sexual privacy. This means that amendments to any laws would need to be reflected in changes to the Criminal Code, which complicates the issue.

Source: Taipei Times April 06, 2022 22:12 UTC