The petition has reached the threshold of 5,000 signatures, and the government is required to respond by Nov. 24.
The News Lens
Date: 2016/09/23
By: Olivia Yang
An online petition is seeking amendments to Taiwan’s Act of Military Service System that would include
Photo Credit: Reuters/達志影像
“citizens that aren’t male” in the country’s compulsory military service.
The petition was launched on Sept. 13 and has since reached the threshold of 5,000 signatures. The government is required to respond by Nov. 24.
The petition says that “Article 1 of the Act of Military Service System reads ‘In accordance with the Law, the male citizens of the Republic of China are obligated to take military service,’” which, “clearly conflicts with” the principles of gender equality stipulated in the Constitution.
The Act says “the physical differences between males and females create different social roles for them,” to explain why the Act is not unconstitutional. However, the petition says that some females do meet the standards of physical condition for serving in the military. [FULL STORY]
