President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of January 15 attended an address given by Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, to express his admiration for Mr. Satyarthi's efforts over the years in working to protect the rights of children.
In remarks, the president stated that Mr. Satyarthi is not only a world-renowned advocate for children's rights, but has also long been at the forefront in efforts to combat the child-exploitation and illiteracy. Mr. Satyarthi began to work some 35 years ago to end child labor and help to promote education for children, so his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize last year was well deserved. Mr. Satyarthi is the founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA, Save the Childhood Movement) in India, a non-governmental organization now active in about 100 countries worldwide. To date, the organization has rescued over 80,000 children and laborers who were being exploited. Expressing deep admiration for the work carried out in this regard, the president also mentioned that over the past five years, Taiwan's Wake Welfare Action Association and Eden Social Welfare Foundation have sent about 100 volunteers to India each year to provide children's services in conjunction with the BBA. This, he said, demonstrates the compassion of the people of Taiwan.
President Ma went on to say that since 1996, he has been participating in initiatives by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families and World Vision Taiwan to provide financial assistance to children, noting that he has sponsored 29 children in Taiwan and overseas over the past 18 years. "Even a small donation can help a child grow up in a better environment," the president said, adding that his sponsorship is very gratifying, and brings him great joy. And in fact, many people in Taiwan provide long-term financial assistance to children. He cited statistics indicating that in 2013 the two aforementioned organizations provided financial assistance to nearly 290,000 children overseas, a figure that represents more than 1% of Taiwan's total population. In addition, in July of last year during a visit to El Salvador, the president had the opportunity to meet a local boy that he sponsored, Melvin Antonio Perez. President Ma said he learned that people from Taiwan have sponsored about 5,500 children in El Salvador, a number exceeded only by the number of children receiving financial assistance from larger countries such as the United States and Canada. So on a per capita basis, Taiwan helps more children in El Salvador than any other country. He commented that this is testament to Taiwan's transformation into an exporter of compassion.
The president added that over the past six years ROC nationals have made over 11,000 trips overseas to engage in volunteer work, exemplifying the ideal that compassion knows no borders. At the same time, he said, Taiwan is actively engaged in providing humanitarian aid to the international community. For instance, Taiwan donated a total of US$215 million—more than any other country—to Japan after the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, which the people of Japan found deeply touching. Moreover, in November 2013, parts of the Philippines and Palau were ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan, after which the ROC government and private sector donated funds and material goods valued at US$12 million. These are all concrete examples of Taiwan providing humanitarian aid to the international community.
As for work being carried out by the ROC government to promote and protect human rights, President Ma stated that since losing its representation in the United Nations in 1971, the ROC has not been able to fully participate in various international organizations and activities. Nevertheless, it has still enacted laws to enforce the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The ROC has also enacted the Enforcement Act for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Enforcement Act of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, thereby giving those covenants the force of law in Taiwan, making them applicable to Taiwan's judicial and administrative agencies, and providing real protection for human rights.
The president also mentioned that two years ago he was invited to attend a ceremony held by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy to personally present its 2012 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award to Ms. Maureen Crombie, then chairperson of ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), to recognize that organization's contributions. President Ma noted that in the past, Taiwan was also implicated in the trafficking of child prostitutes. Acting in his role as minister of justice (1993-1996), the president addressed the situation by proposing the Child and Youth Sexual Transaction Prevention Act, and through the cooperative efforts of the government and private sectors, trafficking in child prostitutes has gradually been eradicated from the country. President Ma remarked that the children's rights movement promoted by Mr. Satyarthi has been a significant factor in protecting children, and therefore garnered broad support and assistance from the international community. The president expressed confidence that the movement will be successful.
Lastly, President Ma expressed hope that in the future Taiwan will be able to strengthen its cooperation with Mr. Satyarthi in the movement to rescue children, and that the two sides can work together to support and protect children around the world.
Among those in attendance were Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), Legislator Wang Yu-Min (王育敏), and Cathay Charity Foundation Chairman Frederick F. Chien (錢復) and Mrs. Chien.