The Human Truth Foundation

Human Rights and Freedom in Taiwan

https://www.humantruth.info/taiwan_human_rights_and_freedom.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2023

#freethought #religion_in_Taiwan #religious_tolerance #Taiwan #taiwan_freethought

Taiwan
Republic of China

[Country Profile Page]
StatusProto Independent State
Social and Moral Index19th best
CapitalTaipei
Land Area
LocationAsia
GroupingsSmall Islands
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 CodesTW, TWN, 1581
Internet Domain.tw2
CurrencyDollar (TWD)3
Telephone+8864

Taiwan performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Taiwan does the best for freethought5. It does better than average in terms of supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms6 (amongst the best in Asia), supporting press freedom7 (amongst the lowest in Asia) and in LGBT equality8. In 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage9.


1. Taiwan's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to Asia (2020)10
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank10
1Hong Kong24.3
2Taiwan28.2
3Japan41.9
4S. Korea45.5
5Cyprus46.5
6Mongolia60.3
7Georgia64.2
8Armenia71.4
9Philippines78.3
10Kyrgyzstan79.5
11Turkey82.4
12Russia83.0
13Israel83.3
Asia Avg99.9
q=51.
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)10
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank10
1Sweden9.0
2Norway14.5
3Denmark14.5
...
16Uruguay26.5
17UK26.6
18Spain28.2
19Taiwan28.2
20Slovenia33.1
21Costa Rica36.5
22Italy37.1
23Czechia37.7
World Avg87.9
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark11. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu11.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe11, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia11.

For more, see:

Amnesty International's 2023-23 report on Taiwan was quite short: "Despite another court ruling permitting the marriage of transnational same-sex partners, limitations on same-sex marriage remained in place. A Constitutional Court ruling required the government to strengthen privacy safeguards"12.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
Lower is better6
Pos.2014
Rank6
1Hong Kong1
2Switzerland2
3New Zealand3
...
23USA23
24Latvia24
25Iceland25
26Taiwan26
27Slovakia27
28Italy28
29Chile29
30Romania30
Asia Avg94.6
World Avg79.7
q=159.
(one of the lowest in Asia)Taiwan comes 26th in the world regarding supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)13

2.2. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom
Lower is better7
Pos.20137
1Finland638
2Netherlands648
3Norway652
...
43Trinidad & Tobago2312
44Malta2330
45Burkina Faso2370
46Taiwan2382
47Samoa2384
48Haiti2409
49S. Korea2448
50Comoros2452
Asia Avg4378
World Avg3249
q=178.
(one of the lowest in Asia)Regarding supporting press freedom, Taiwan comes 46th in the world.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index14

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

2.3. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery
Lower is better
15
Pos.2018
% Victims15
1Japan0.03
2=Canada0.05
2=Taiwan0.05
4Australia0.06
5=New Zealand0.06
6Chile0.08
7=Mauritius0.10
7=Uruguay0.10
9Costa Rica0.13
10=USA0.13
10=Argentina0.13
12Hong Kong0.14
Asia Avg0.79
World Avg0.65
q=167.
Taiwan comes 2nd-best in the world regarding eliminating modern slavery, after Japan.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory16. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends17. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life18. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves19.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery20. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity21. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.22. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi23, Eritrea23, Indonesia24) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery25.

For more, see:

3. Prejudice

3.1. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality
Higher is better
8
Pos.2017
Score8
1Netherlands103
2Belgium90
3Sweden86
...
63=Suriname30
63=Venezuela30
63=Lithuania30
66Taiwan25
67=Chile25
67=Ukraine25
67=Mongolia25
67=Liechtenstein25
Asia Avg-02.1
World Avg12.6
q=196.
In terms of LGBT equality, Taiwan comes 66th in the world.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence26. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws27. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries26. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

"Taiwan has become the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage [... and] has long been seen as a trailblaizer for LGBT rights in Asia"9.

3.2. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought
Lower is better
5
Pos.20215
1=Belgium1.0
1=Netherlands1.0
1=Taiwan1.0
4Sao Tome & Principe1.3
5=Ecuador1.3
5=France1.3
5=Bolivia1.3
5=Nauru1.3
9Iceland1.5
10=Congo, (Brazzaville)1.5
10=Sweden1.5
10=Norway1.5
Asia Avg3.7
World Avg3.0
q=196.
Taiwan comes best in the world in terms of freethought.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights28. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish29. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era30 of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted31. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief32. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands5,33 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia5,34.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed35. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief29, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion36 and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"37 and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see: