The Jing Chuang Child Safety Foundation and the Taiwan Early Childhood Education Union (TCEU) on Thursday raised concerns over rising mistreatment in Taiwan’s children.
At a press conference marking National Children's Safety Day on Thursday, the two organizations revealed a 2.7-fold increase in reported cases of preschool mistreatment. Roughly 70 percent involved physical harm, while 20 percent were psychological abuse such as humiliation or threats. Recent cases of sexual harassment and assault have also drawn heightened public concern.
The sentencing in the recent case of a one-year-old boy nicknamed Kai-kai (剴剴) has further societal awareness, where a full-time caregiver hired by the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) and her sister were convicted of torturing the child to death.
To address issues of mistreatment, Jing Chuang Executive Director Hsu Ya-jen (許雅荏) proposed three key reforms: implementing stricter inspections and evaluations, hiring certified teachers with early childhood education backgrounds, and enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for abuse. She also urged authorities to publicly name preschools found guilty of misconduct to promote accountability.
TCEU Chairperson Hsu Wen-ching (許文菁) noted that many abuse cases are linked to schools hiring unlicensed university students without proper training to save on labor costs. She called on the administration to address the imbalance in professional standards, improve wages for certified staff, and ensure every child learns in a safe, high-quality environment.