The Ministry of Health and Welfare will conduct the 2014 Community Against Domestic Violence Demonstration Seminar, which was titled “The Neighborhood Makes Its Move 3—Speaking Out Against Domestic Violence,” in Socrates Hall at GIS NTU Convention Center this afternoon (June 21) at 1:30 PM. This continues “The Neighborhood Makes Its Move” activities held for the past two years. To reward the spirit of communities making independent proposals against domestic violence, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will continue to call on the communities to join the festivities this year. To allow more communities to understand how to integrate an awareness of actions against domestic violence into community work, representatives from communities that have participated in “The Neighborhood Makes Its Move” activities in the past and won prizes were specially invited to teach their secrets. These communities include Taipei City’s Zhongshun Community, New Taipei City’s Parent and Volunteer Educational Growth Association, Taichung City’s Lane 101 Story House Studio, and Jiachang Community and Colorful Page Women’s Vision Association in Kaohsiung City. They will share their secrets of success on the site. All communities are welcome to come to compete for leadership of the 2014 Creative Communities Against Domestic Violence! 

Hsiu-Yuan Chang, Director-General of the Department of Protective Services of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated that in the 16 years since Taiwan passed the Domestic Violence Prevention Act in 1998, which officially declared that domestic violence was no longer merely a family affair, thanks to continued advocacy by the government and civil groups, the people of Taiwan have gradually accepted the concept of “letting the law into the home.” They take the initiative to seek help when they encounter domestic violence. Over the last few years, stable growth has been seen in the number of domestic violence reports received by municipal and county (city) governments. As of 2013, this number had reached more than 130,000. Intimate partner violence remains the most common type of domestic violence reported at nearly 50% of the total. It is followed by child and youth protection events at 30%. These are the cases with which people are familiar and which often occur as highly visible marital conflict or parental discipline. However, because of the influence of the traditional concepts that “quarrels between husbands and wives began and end in the bedroom” and “parents are perfectly justified in disciplining their children,” these incidents are often ignored by everyone. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, nearly 80% of people know that the 113 protection hotline is for domestic violence reporting and consultation. However, only 20% of domestic violence reports come from the general population through the 113 protection hotline. In contrast, 80% are reported by the police, hospitals, or schools. This indicates that although the majority of the people are aware that domestic violence should be reported, they appear to lack the courage to act, as reflected in their behavior. Therefore, to encourage communities to participate in promoting education on preventing domestic violence and to establish awareness of community prevention as quickly as possible to reduce the occurrence of domestic violence, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will continuously hold “The Neighborhood Makes Its Move 3—Speaking Out Against Domestic Violence” this year, supporting the continued cultivation of community awareness of “zero tolerance for violence.” 


The Ministry of Health and Welfare indicated that conducting the community action against domestic violence of “The Neighborhood Makes Its Move” has another deeper meaning. Battered families and victims still hesitating and struggling with whether to seek help from outside will see that the people of their communities are actively involved in action against domestic violence and expressing their attitude toward acts of domestic violence. This indirectly encourages victims to seek help courageously with the community backing them up. Director-General Hsu-Yuan Chang has called on neighborhoods, community development associations, and civil organizations to speak out enthusiastically and respond to this activity. 

Submission time for “The Neighborhood Makes Its Move 3” runs from today until October 31 of this year. To attract the participation of even more communities, a “new star group” competition has been specially established for first-time participants this year. The selected winners will be awarded like the winners in the “elite group.” First place will be awarded NT$70,000, second place NT$50,000, and third place NT$30,000. Three prizes will also be awarded for excellent work, with each winner receiving NT$10,000. Communities are welcome to enroll actively. For details, please see the event website http://www.stopdv.com.tw/ or dial the activity consultation hotline: 0800-008-113.