It has been nearly three years since the passage of the Prevention of Stalking and Harassment Act and over two years since its implementation. On October 11, 2024, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) convened the first meeting of the stalking and harassment prevention second advisory group, chaired by Minister Liu Shyh-Fang. The meeting acknowledged the efforts made by various ministries in combating stalking and harassment. According to the MOI, in more than 80 percent of the cases, perpetrators ceased further harassment after receiving a written warning from the police, thereby protecting the victims and realizing human rights protection.
According to the MOI, the Stalking Harassment Prevention Act was enacted based on several key principles: “focusing on gender violence cases,” “the criminalization of behavior,” “the integration of criminal investigations with immediate protection measures,” “supplementing the inadequacies of existing laws,” and “incorporating an interagency coordination mechanism. In urgent cases that may jeopardize the victim's life and safety, the police will report the case to the prosecutor for directed investigation, so as to effectively reduce recidivism through criminal sanctions such as arrest or recommendations for detention.
From June 2022 to July 2024, a total of 6,329 stalking and harassment cases were received (handled) by police departments, of which 2,495 (39.4%) involved family members or close relationships, and the remaining 3,834 (60.6%) involved various types of relationships; the gender of the offenders was more prevalent in males, with a total of 5,291 (83.6%), and 755 (11.9%) in females; the remaining were cases of unknown gender of the offenders, such as cyber harassment, with a total of 283 (4.5%). The gender of the victim was more common among females, with a total of 5,603 (88.5%), and 726 (11.3%) in males.