Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: JamesPHR/Flickr/CC0
A SEXUAL ABUSE case in a Taipei kindergarten has sparked outrage. In particular, the Taipei city government has been criticized for handling the matter poorly.
The suspect, Mao Chun-shen, taught at a private kindergarten, and was previously indicted in August 2023. Mao then faced allegations that he had sexually molested six children.
Allegations against Mao date to July 2022. However, this initial case did not end with an indictment, with prosecutors deciding there was not enough evidence to indict him. To this extent, the Taipei Department of Education stated that it could not suspend Mao without an indictment, and so Mao was allowed to continue to teach. This occurred despite that the Ministry of Education allows teachers to be ordered to take a leave of absence while under investigation.
Parents criticized that they were not allowed access to reports by the police and surveillance footage and were only provided access to printscreen images by the police.
A new investigation into the case was opened in 2023 after a female student at the kindergarten reported Mao’s behavior. As such, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office dismissed the case in June 2023 but reopened the case the following month. Mao was found to have molested six students, a number that later rose to over 20. Over 600 sexually explicit videos featuring minors were then found at Mao’s residence in the course of this second investigation. Mao was then banned from teaching at kindergartens in September 2023.
In particular, the kindergarten that Mao taught at is accused of not reporting actions by him and failing to take disciplinary action against him. This may not be surprising, seeing as the kindergarten was owned by Mao’s mother and he was hired despite having no educational qualifications. Mao’s mother now faces charges of reopening under another person’s name two months ago.
The DPP has criticized Chiang Wan-an’s mayoral administration for inaction. While KMT politicians have also called for justice in the case, they have accused the DPP of seeking to use the case to target the Chiang mayoral administration. Chiang has publicly apologized and stated that fines for institutions covering up cases of abuse will be raised to 600,000 NT. In its review of the case, Deputy Education Minister Chang Liao Wan-Chien stated that failure to pass on or report relevant documentation and adequately carry out cross-bureau coordination is what led to the case. NGO and parent groups, too, have been critical of the Taipei city government, The Control Yuan has stated that media disclosure laws regarding names of individuals involved in sexual abuse cases is to protect the name of victims, rather than perpetrators, regarding that media has reported on Mao’s name.
Photo credit: Jiang/WikiCommons/Public Domain
This is not the only case involving child abuse in recent memory. In June 2023, a New Taipei kindergarten closed after an instructor was found to be violently abusing students, while a teacher in Kaohsiung was found to have beaten a three-year-old student. At least 12 students were violently punished through actions such as being shoved or slapped. In July 2023, a teacher at a private kindergarten in Kaohsiung was found to have kicked students, thrown backpacks at them, and hit them with sticks. The same month, an elementary school teacher in Kaohsiung was found to have been bullying children with additional education needs. This includes insulting students and pushing them to cheat.
A March 2024 case in which a one-year-old child died in foster care also prompted outrage, but as much public anger was directed against a social worker involved in the case, the case also prompted discussion about the labor conditions of social workers. In the wake of the case, parents rallied to demonstrate for strengthened child protections on Ketagalan Boulevard in April 2024.
A number of cases of abuse against students involve physical abuse and corporal punishment, then. Nevertheless, cases of sexual abuse have more often stirred up outrage from members of the public, particularly parents.
This is not the first time that city governments have been accused of cover-ups in order to protect their reputation. The most famous case in point was in 2022, after a two-year-child nicknamed “En En” died of COVID-19. The New Taipei city government was accused of a cover-up over the investigation into why it took over 81 minutes before an ambulance was dispatched, in spite of repeated phone calls. The “En En” case led to criticism of New Taipei mayor Hou You-yi’s mayoral administration in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, during which Hou served as the KMT presidential candidate.
Still, while such cases are often used as part of political mudslinging between both major political camps in Taiwan, it is unclear if this addresses the systemic issues at stake. After all, if there are cover-ups involved, it is to be seen what structural reforms to city governments can prevent this in the future.