Former president 
Tsai Ing-wen has called for a review of whether Taiwan's child-protection safety net truly puts children at its centre, after a case in which a 10-year-old was sexually harmed. Tsai said in a Facebook post on August 28 that many details were still to be clarified and that she did not want to downplay the work of frontline staff, CNA reported. Nor did she want the ordeal reduced to mutual political blame, she said, though "not rushing to blame does not mean we do not need a review."
What troubled her about the case? What concerned her, Tsai said in the post reported by CNA, was that the child had asked the adults around her for help again and again, saying she was scared and did not want to go home. A child of just 10 had even learned the word for recanting testimony, a term that entered her life too early, she said. Calling child protection demanding, specialist work, Tsai said the government has in recent years stressed cooperation among social services, education, police, the judiciary and medical care in the hope of spotting risks earlier, so that someone can catch a child before harm is done or the first time they ask for help.
What does she want reviewed? Every child not caught in time warrants a fresh look at the safety net, Tsai said, including whether risk assessment is child-centred enough, whether a child's wishes are fully heard in placement and protection decisions, whether frontline workers have enough staff and professional support, and what still needs reinforcing between the different systems, CNA reported. A 10-year-old does not know which agency handles what, she said: "The system they know is the adults in front of them," from teachers and social workers to police. Systems need constant upkeep, she said, and since the child had asked for help many times, "it should be our turn" as adults to show her through action that "this society is worth trusting once more."
Figures referenced: Tsai Ing-wen. — JudgeMarket.
