Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) attended the Legal Aid Foundation’s 20th-anniversary celebration on Tuesday. Hsiao expressed hopes that the foundation will continue to support disadvantaged citizens in gaining equal access to justice and help make Taiwan a lawful civil society.
In her remarks, Hsiao thanked the foundation for assisting citizens with legal issues and upholding fairness and justice. She stated that this has allowed Taiwan to become a democratic society governed by law and an important benchmark in Asia.
Hsiao noted that President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) highly values judicial reform adding that the government will continue to promote reforms in education, the judiciary, and transitional justice.
Legal Aid Foundation Chairperson Chen Bi-yue (陳碧玉) said that since its establishment, the foundation has provided 1.35 million legal consultation services and handled 746,000 cases of mediation, reconciliation, legal document drafting, litigation representation, and defense. Chen added that the foundation has timely participated in many high-profile class action cases, helping calm public concerns, heal wounds, and uphold fairness and justice.
Judiciary President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) and Justice Minister Tseng Ming-chien (鄭明謙) praised the foundation for helping citizens achieve equal access to justice. They believe that this effort has created a barrier-free legal environment, upholding the constitutional guarantees of the rights to litigation and equality, which are important indicators of national progress.
The Legal Aid Foundation began operations on July 1, 2004, following the enactment of the Legal Aid Act in 2003. Since then, it has established 21 branch offices in municipal cities and counties and two indigenous legal service centers, providing legal advice and aid to laborers, women, children, indigenous people, and migrants.