TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Legislators and civic groups gathered at the Legislative Yuan on Thursday (Nov. 21) to urge the government to prioritize the needs of children and adolescents. They highlighted Taiwan's current budget for children and youth, which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Legislator Ngalim Tiunn (張雅琳) noted stands at 2% of the total budget, significantly lower than the 6% average of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) plans to advocate for a child and youth work permit system, aiming to integrate systems across schools, kindergartens, cram schools, and summer camps to protect young people. She emphasized the necessity of allocating more budgetary resources for this initiative. DPP Legislator Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴) also suggested that the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, 衛生福利部) increases funding for child placement services and establish a database for accident and injury investigations to complete cause of death reports for those under 18.
DPP Legislator Saidhai Tahovecahe (伍麗華) underscored that children's rights are a non-negotiable baseline and intends to promote legislation for ethnic equality and anti-discrimination. DPP Legislator Loh Meei-ling (羅美玲) identified resource integration and policy coordination as keys to improving conditions for children and proposed creating an integrated children's budget platform.
DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) called on each ministry to respect the expression rights of children and adolescents, incorporate them into decision-making processes, and provide more support for families. Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪) pointed out the lack of child-friendly pedestrian spaces in Taiwan compared to Japan and European countries, urging the government to enhance the environment for children and youth.