Human Rights and Freedom in Taiwan

Taiwan Republic of China [Country Profile Page]
Status	Proto Independent State
Social and Moral Index	3rd best
Capital	Taipei
Land Area
Location	Asia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	TW, TWN, 1581
Internet Domain	.tw2
Currency	Dollar (TWD)3
Telephone	+8864

Taiwan performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Taiwan does the best for freethought₅. It does better than average when it comes to supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₆ (amongst the best in Asia), supporting press freedom₇ (amongst the lowest in Asia) and in LGBT equality₈. In 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage₉.

1. Taiwan's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
2. Human Rights & Tolerance Data Sets
   1. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
   2. Press Freedom
   3. Slavery
3. Prejudice Data Sets
   1. LGBT Equality
   2. Freedom of Thought
4. Links

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1. Taiwan's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Compared to Asia (2020)10
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank10
1	Hong Kong	24.3
2	Taiwan	28.2
3	Japan	42.1
4	S. Korea	45.7
5	Cyprus	46.7
6	Mongolia	60.5
7	Georgia	64.3
8	Armenia	71.6
9	Philippines	78.4
10	Kyrgyzstan	79.6
11	Turkey	82.6
12	Russia	83.2
13	Israel	83.5
	Asia Avg	99.8
q=51.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)10
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank10
1	Sweden	9.2
2	Norway	14.7
3	Denmark	14.7
	...
15	Belgium	26.1
16	Uruguay	26.7
17	UK	26.8
18	Taiwan	28.2
19	Spain	28.3
20	Slovenia	33.3
21	Costa Rica	36.7
22	Italy	37.3
	World Avg	87.7
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark₁₁. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu₁₁.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₁, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia₁₁.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Amnesty International's 2023-23 report on Taiwan was quite short: "Despite another court ruling permitting the marriage of transnational same-sex partners, limitations on same-sex marriage remained in place. A Constitutional Court ruling required the government to strengthen privacy safeguards"₁₂.

2. Human Rights & Tolerance Data Sets

2.1. Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom

#freedom #politics

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better6
Pos.		2014 Rank6
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
23	USA	23
24	Latvia	24
25	Iceland	25
26	Taiwan	26
27	Slovakia	27
28	Italy	28
29	Chile	29
30	Romania	30
	Asia Avg	94.6
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...

“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]

The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]

Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”

"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)₁₃

2.2. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom Lower is better7
Pos.		20137
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
43	Trinidad & Tobago	2312
44	Malta	2330
45	Burkina Faso	2370
46	Taiwan	2382
47	Samoa	2384
48	Haiti	2409
49	S. Korea	2448
50	Comoros	2452
	Asia Avg	4378
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₄

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

2.3. Slavery

#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery

Slavery Lower is better15
Pos.		2018 % Victims15
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
4	Australia	0.06
5	New Zealand	0.06
6	Chile	0.08
7	Mauritius	0.10
8	Uruguay	0.10
9	Costa Rica	0.13
10	USA	0.13
11	Argentina	0.13
12	Hong Kong	0.14
	Asia Avg	0.79
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₁₆. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₁₇. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₁₈. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₁₉.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₀. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₁. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₂₂. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₃, Eritrea₂₃, Indonesia₂₄) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₂₅.

For more, see:

• "The Historical Slave Trade and Modern Slavery" by Vexen Crabtree (2018).

3. Prejudice Data Sets

3.1. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality Higher is better8
Pos.		2017 Score8
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
63	Suriname	30
64	Venezuela	30
65	Lithuania	30
66	Taiwan	25
67	Chile	25
68	Ukraine	25
69	Mongolia	25
70	Liechtenstein	25
	Asia Avg	-02.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₂₆. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₂₇. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₂₆. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

"Taiwan has become the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage [... and] has long been seen as a trailblaizer for LGBT rights in Asia"₉.

3.2. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better5
Pos.		20215
1	Belgium	1.0
2	Netherlands	1.0
3	Taiwan	1.0
4	Sao Tome & Principe	1.3
5	Ecuador	1.3
6	France	1.3
7	Bolivia	1.3
8	Nauru	1.3
9	Iceland	1.5
10	Congo, (Brazzaville)	1.5
11	Sweden	1.5
12	Norway	1.5
	Asia Avg	3.7
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₂₈. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₂₉. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₃₀ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₃₁. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₃₂. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_5,33 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_5,34.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₃₅. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₂₉, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₃₆ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₃₇ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).