35 members of the Asian Network of Women’s Shelters (ANWS) went to the Office of the President to visit Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chen Chien-jen on August 30, 2017. Chen not only expressed appreciation to GOH for providing a long-term and complete caring network for victims but said he looked forward to continually cooperating with the visitors in promoting gender equality, as everyone, especially women and children, has the right to be free from violence. He promised to support Taiwan in organizing the Global Network of Women’s Shelters (GNWS) in 2019, saying it should be done by the government.

During his speech, Chen first thanked GOH and the ANWS for facilitating the conference to be held in Taiwan this year. He said that as the host country, we are proud to support the objectives of the Istanbul Convention and bring together scholars, experts, and representatives from NGOs to discuss new models of shelter management, legal framework, and public policy in order to help victims of gender violence.

Chen said that Taiwan has made outstanding progress in gender equality, women’s empowerment, and victim protection. The Gender Equality Committee of the Legislative Yuan has begun to examine and confirm if all policies and regulations are in line with gender equality. He pointed out that the Taiwanese elected the first female president last year, and 38% of members of the Legislative Yuan are females. These important victories ensure that females’ opinions would be heard, especially in social projects for gender equality promotion.

The visitors included Rosa Logar, vice president of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, Council of Europe; Riekje Kok, coordinator of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters; and other representatives from other Asian networks of women’s shelters. They were accompanied by François Chih-chung Wu, Deputy Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs; Judy Ying-ming Wong, director-general of the Department of NGO Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Hsiu-yuan Chang, director-general of the Department of Protective Services, Ministry of Health and Welfare.