Under the current Police Uniforms Act, female officers can only wear skirts falling just above the knee in summer. The revision was proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and will be sent to the Legislature for review before the current session ends Dec. 31.
“It is important for the government to promote gender equality across the board,” Cabinet spokesman Sun Lih-chyun said. “We will continue our efforts in this regard and leave no stone unturned when it comes to implementing CEDAW.”
According to Sun, the amendment deletes the uniform style requirement in the fifth article of the act and allows the MOI to set related standards going forward. In addition to complying with the U.N. convention, it enables policewomen to carry out their duties more comfortably and efficiently.
Future uniform standards will only be implemented for duty-related reasons, Sun said. “Such reforms are expected to extend to other government departments nationwide, as well as students at educational institutions.”
Taiwan has made CEDAW implementation a priority and passed an act requiring local laws, regulations and procedures to be amended accordingly. Since the Enforcement Act of CEDAW took effect Jan. 1, 2012, a total of 33,157 Taiwan laws, regulations and procedures have been reviewed, with 226 found to be noncompliant. All are scheduled to be amended by the end of the year.
According to the act, all relevant laws and administrative measures contravening CEDAW must be changed within three years, and the government is required to deliver a national report on the promotion of gender equality every four years. The first was released in 2009, with Taiwan’s next national report due in 2017.
“All these measures show that Taiwan is doing more than paying lip service to boosting women’s rights,” Sun said. “We will keep our shoulders to the grindstone in building a more equitable society for all members.” (DF-JSM)
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