President Ma Ying-jeou attended the ceremony on the morning of December 10 marking the presentation of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy's 2010 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award. When he personally presented this year's award to Triveni Balkrishna Acharya, president of India's Rescue Foundation, President Ma reiterated the government's commitment to protection of human rights.
In remarks to the gathering, President Ma noted that today is Human Rights Day, which marks the United Nations' (UN) passage on December 10, 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an important milestone in the evolution of human society. To further promote human rights, the UN in 1966 enacted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights make up the International Bill of Human Rights. The president remarked that last year he formally signed the instruments of ratification of the two UN covenants and the Legislative Yuan passed an enforcement law to incorporate them into domestic law. The president has instructed his government to carry out a thorough review and amend any existing laws or regulations that do not conform to the covenants. This, he said, will upgrade Taiwan's protection of human rights to international standards.
President Ma stressed that human rights is a universal value and that the state is obligated to protect them. The ROC's founding father Dr. Sun Yat-sen 100 years ago advocated "helping the weak and aiding the needy," which he said dovetails with the spirit of protecting human rights. President Ma noted that the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy has bestowed each of its human rights awards to persons or groups who have made a contribution to the development of democracy and human rights in Asia. Previous winners have come from Afghanistan and North Korea, and this year's recipient is from India, which shows that the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been translated into action here. President Ma stated that the government welcomed the announcement in October of this year that mainland Chinese democracy activist Liu Xiaobo had won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, adding that Taiwan has urged the mainland authorities to immediately release Liu. The ROC's stance on this issue demonstrates that our concern for human rights knows no borders, he said.
President Ma expressed his admiration and respect for the work being carried out by the Rescue Foundation to halt human trafficking and prevent persecution of women. In 1987 the Taiwan Women's Rescue Foundation (now Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation) was established to promote legislation and provide rescue services for women, he said. The foundation seeks to draw attention to the issue of forced prostitution, he remarked, and over the years has worked for passage of the Children and Youth Welfare Act, the Child and Youth Sexual Transaction Prevention Act, and the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act, thereby gradually improving the rights of women and children in Taiwan. The president added that the government will continue to take resolute action to fulfill its pledge to protect human rights.