On the eve of Women’s Day, the Ministry of Health and Welfare released the results of a survey indicating that 1 in 4 Taiwanese women have experienced intimate relationship violence in their lifetime, and 1 in 10 experienced it in the last year. The most common form of violence was psychological/emotional abuse (21%), followed by physical (9.8%) and economic abuse (9.6%), as well as sexual abuse (7.2%) and stalking/harassment (5.2%). Zhang Xiu-Yuan, head of the Ministry’s Department of Protective Services, said that this survey demonstrates that intimate relationship violence is a common occurrence, and called on the public to care for family and friends, and if there are signs of domestic abuse, to courageously seek help to prevent further harm. 
In 2015, the Ministry of Health and Welfare—referencing survey guidelines, methodology and target populations of international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), and the World Health Organization (WHO)—obtained a preliminary overview and estimated the prevalence of intimate relationship violence experienced by Taiwanese women aged 18-74. This interview-based study surveyed 1,476 subjects and obtained 536 completed questionnaires, and after removing those with missing values, 529 evaluable cases. The results showed the one-year prevalence of domestic violence (any of psychological/emotional abuse, stalking/harassment, economic abuse, or sexual abuse) to be 10.3%, and a higher lifetime prevalence of 25%. The study indicated that over the past 12 months, among the surveyed women aged 18+, psychological abuse (7.7%) was the most prevalent type of violence, followed by economic abuse (3.4%), sexual abuse (2.3%), stalking/harassment (1.9%), and physical abuse (1.1%). In other words, for the majority of the interviewees aged 18+, the conflict within the intimate relationship did not begin with physical violence, but with verbal (i.e., slander, humiliation, intimidation, intentional ignoring, enforcing of limits, threatening, etc.) or emotional abuse. As the relationship worsened, physical violence sometimes ensued. The fact that economic abuse ranked second in the one-year prevalence also must not be overlooked. 
In a cross analysis of the demographic characteristics and the experience of intimate relationship violence, it was found that urban interviewees had higher rates of domestic abuse compared to those from less-developed townships. Urban interviewees also experienced psychological abuse at a higher rate than those from mid-sized towns and less-developed townships. Why is this the case? Researchers postulated that the results may reflect a greater access to information on the prevention of intimate relationship violence, greater gender-sensitivity, clearer understanding of domestic violence, and higher ability to recognize psychological abuse among urbanites. It is worth noting that among the other demographic variables, abuse correlated with age, although it did not reach statistical significance. In particular, those aged 71-74 (42.9%) experienced the highest rate of abuse, followed by those aged 21-30 (25%) and those aged 31-40 (24.8%). Thus, the issue of elder abuse warrants attention as Taiwan becomes an aged society. 
Zhang indicated that although there have been similar surveys at the international level, the slight differences in target populations and questionnaire content, as well as the widely disparate findings, make a direct comparison between Taiwanese data and that of other countries difficult. For example, the UN survey showed an enormous range of one-year prevalence of intimate relationship violence in Asia (including West Asia and Asia Pacific), with the lowest rate in Cambodia (9%), the highest in the Solomon Islands (63.52%), and rates of 10-20% in the other countries; the EU questionnaire showed one-year prevalence rates of physical and sexual violence by a current or any former partner ranging from 2-6%; the WHO survey put the global average prevalence of intimate relationship violence at approximately 30%, and 23.2% in the high-income region. 
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, although a comprehensive picture of intimate relationship violence experienced by Taiwanese women aged 18+ cannot be inferred directly from these preliminary results, the study is indeed a milestone as Taiwan catches up to the international community in preventing gender-based violence. This survey lays an important foundation for a better understanding of the state of Taiwanese women’s experience of intimate relationship violence and research into long-term trends. Zhang emphasized that intimate relationship violence results in not only physical and psychological harm to the victims, but also corresponding social impact that is harder to measure; therefore, the government must make considerable investment into prevention to minimize the societal cost. Research also showed that the female interviewees aged 18+ may not be able to dissociate from an abusive relationship due to lack of economic resources, and thus remain trapped in cycles of intimate relationship violence. To help battered women gain independence from their abusive environment, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has directed the special municipalities and local county/city governments to develop a plurality of shelter services and housing programs, and to combine financial and labor resources in support of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) offering job placement assistance to women. Since prevention is better than intervention, to help domestic abuse prevention education take root in families, schools, and communities as soon as possible, the Ministry will continue to work alongside local government and NGOs to increase public awareness and streamline reporting channels. The Ministry also encourages local governments to pursue the tertiary prevention strategies of strengthening network coordination, evaluating the needs of abuse victims in a comprehensive manner, and ensuring the physical safety of victims, to stem the rising tide of domestic abuse, deliver the help the victims deserve, so all our citizens can have a safe living environment.