TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s National Human Rights Commission on Thursday released an independent assessment of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, urging the government to accelerate reforms to address persistent gender inequality.

NHRC Vice Chair Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) said current legislation pending in the Cabinet falls short of CEDAW standards, citing the absence of provisions addressing hate speech and a lack of supporting measures, per CNA. She also pointed to low participation by women in government departments and the limited success of female candidates in grassroots elections.

The report identified six key areas of concern: the definition of discrimination, gender equality mechanisms, gender-based violence, women’s public participation, work-family balance, and intersectional discrimination against disadvantaged women. It presented 40 monitoring opinions and 20 recommendations.

NHRC and Control Yuan member Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠) said the assessment was based on research and investigations conducted between 2021 and 2025. The report also incorporated long-term data and feedback collected by the Foundation for Women’s Rights Promotion and Development in collaboration with grassroots women’s groups.

Chi said this year’s report focused on inconsistent standards for identifying gender discrimination, insufficient resources for gender equality mechanisms, the persistence of gender-based violence, limited female participation in decision-making, and ongoing difficulties women face in balancing work and family life.

The commission paid special attention to challenges faced by women in rural areas, Indigenous women, female migrant workers, women with disabilities, and divorced women, particularly in health care, labor, education, and family life.

Chi cited several examples of legal shortcomings, including the Anti-Discrimination Act, still under Cabinet review, which she said does not address hate speech. She added that requiring spousal consent for abortion contradicts the spirit of CEDAW.

She also said about 95% of sexual assault cases are not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, while prosecution rates are especially low in cases involving perpetrators in positions of power. Chi called for a review of the Criminal Code’s criteria for establishing sexual assault, adoption of an affirmative consent model, and greater efforts by judicial authorities to pursue diverse forms of evidence during investigations and trials.

Chi further noted that only about one-third of members on the Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee are women. She said female representation in the Cabinet has not reached one-third since 2000.

At the local level, 28% of councilor electoral districts and 51% of township and city representative districts have no women elected, she added. Chi urged amendments to the Political Parties Act to require that a portion of party subsidies be allocated to promoting women’s political participation.