Taipei: Taiwanese civil society groups on Monday called on the government to strengthen sex education, citing rising online exploitation and sexual abuse of minors.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taiwan Association for Sexuality Education (TASE), the Chinese Association for the Development of Affective Education, and the Action Alliance on Basic Education (AABE) made the appeal at a media event marking the release of their list of the top 10 news stories in 2025 concerning "emotional relationships and sex education."
The list features data showing a 2.2-fold increase in cases of sexual exploitation of minors over seven years, alongside an eightfold surge in image-related complaints over two years. One significant case highlighted involves a coach sentenced to 464 years for sexually assaulting 32 children. Additionally, the list reveals structural issues such as annual abortion numbers in Taiwan surpassing 300,000 and a rise in sexually transmitted diseases, particularly among those aged 13 to 24.
The civil groups emphasized that sex and emotional education should encompass dignity, power, responsibility, and values, beyond merely teaching biological structures. They advocated for integrating health promotion resources and enhancing frontline preventive education to better safeguard children.
Yang Tsung-tsai, a psychiatrist and TASE supervisor, noted that the increase in sexual exploitation and legal complaints related to online images indicates a shift of exploitation into digital spaces. He pointed out that perpetrators often manipulate emotions, exploiting trust, while traditional sex education focuses excessively on physiological knowledge rather than emotional and relational factors.
TASE Chairperson Feng Chia-yu highlighted that the real crisis behind the changing patterns of sexually transmitted diseases is the breakdown of "psychological defenses." She remarked that many young women attempt to exchange sex for love or to alleviate loneliness, using "sexual compromise" as a means to maintain connections. Feng stressed that if sex education only covers condom-use techniques without addressing self-worth and behavioral responsibility, young people will continue to face risks in sexual encounters.