Taipei City's Social Welfare Department held a press conference yesterday on the issue of sexual harassment. If the offender presents a mocking attitude and makes obscene remarks, “of course it could be sexual harassment,” said Liao Huei-fang, the director of Taipei City Sexual Assault Prevention Committee and a lawyer, during the news conference.

Liao gave an example: A lady became extremely upset that a supervisor in another company next her office would continuously “stare” at her. According to the lady, the man would watch her as she walked from her seat to the restroom or pantry room. The woman could no longer take the stress of being 'eye-stalked' and lodged a complaint against him. The man was eventually fined, said Liao. This case indicates that the current definition of sexual harassment has become broader, from “no touching” to “no looking.”

With this broader definition, official Chang Mei-mei said, anyone could easily face charges, even with good intentions. Chang suggested that one should always pay attention to his/her behavior; otherwise, they might not only fail to flirt, but end up facing charges.

Even so, during the last four years, Taipei City courts have heard 250 charges of sexual assault, but only 42 percent of them were returned with guilty verdicts, Liao said. Apparently, it is still hard to define sexual harassment, as perceptions of the offenders and victims may be extremely different.

If one is sexually harassed, Social Welfare Department recommends either filing a complaint with the offender's employer, policeman or authorities concerned, or contacting Taipei City Hall at 1999, ext. 4553.