President Ma Ying-jeou marked the international Human Rights Day on the morning of December 10 by attending a ceremony held by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy to present its 2012 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award. The president personally presented the award to Chairperson Maureen Crombie of ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography & Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) in recognition of her organization's outstanding contributions to protecting the human rights of children.
In remarks, the president stated that the purpose of the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award is to recognize individuals or organizations in Asia that have made a sustained effort to promote democracy and protect human rights, thereby deepening democracy and enhancing human rights in the region. The president emphasized the significance of the award, adding that this marks the fifth time that he has attended the award ceremony since taking office in 2008.
President Ma stated that the ROC had violated human rights earlier in its history. Beginning with the 228 Incident in1947 and continuing through the White Terror period, he pointed out, injustices arose from false and erroneous cases made against individuals, but the government now humbly faces the facts of history and has adopted a series of measures to improve human rights in Taiwan. These measures include admitting its wrongs, apologizing, and restoring the good names of the victims. President Ma emphasized that "while the wrongs of history may perhaps be forgiven, the lessons of history cannot be forgotten." The government must face history this way, he said, if it is to be sure that the unfortunate events of the past will not recur.
President Ma remarked that human rights violations still occur frequently throughout the world, and cited International Labour Organization data which show that about 1.8 million children worldwide have been the victims of child prostitution, child pornography, human trafficking, and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. These illegal activities generate over US$100 million of illicit profits, he said, explaining that since 1991 ECPAT International, the winner of this year's award, has sought to prevent commercial sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT International cooperates closely with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and also is a special advisory body to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), he said. In addition, ECPAT International maintains contact with local governments and heads of state, and advocates for protection of children, the president stated. President Ma noted that ECPAT International has joined hands with The Body Shop to carry out the global Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign, and its contributions have been widely praised the world over.
President Ma furthermore pointed out that ECPAT International is running the Global Youth Partnership Project in 15 nations, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, and Thailand, to remind the public to pay attention to the issue of the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The organization's efforts in this regard are also quite worthy of praise, he said.
President Ma acknowledged that trafficking in child prostitutes has occurred in Taiwan in the past, but remarked that long-term efforts by the government and other entities have steadily reduced the number of victims. The number of cases of child abuse, on the other hand, hasn't fallen, he said, adding that the government and civil society must jointly focus on this other form of human rights abuse.
President Ma also mentioned that Taiwan has won international recognition for its efforts to prevent human trafficking. For instance, the US government announced in its Trafficking in Persons Report 2012 that Taiwan ranked as a Tier 1 country. This shows recognition of the ROC's performance in establishing a comprehensive legal framework and exercising active law enforcement, he said.
The president stated that on December 10, 2008 he announced that the ROC would ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, adding that in May of the following year he signed the instruments of ratification for these two covenants. The government then passed an act to implement the two covenants, thus incorporating them into domestic law, he said. At the same time, the president mentioned, the government set forth concrete goals and a timetable to carry out a comprehensive review of ROC legislation with the hope of creating a well-rounded legal system that will further protect human rights.
President Ma stressed that "there is no democracy without human rights," and that the government must make every effort to protect human rights. Taiwan has already made concrete progress on human rights, and also is concerned about the state of human rights in mainland China and other jurisdictions, he said, emphasizing that human rights know no boundaries. Lastly, the president again recognized the contributions of ECPAT International and encouraged the organization to continue working to protect the human rights of children.
Among those attending the ceremony were Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添), and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂).