Taiwan and the Philippines are the only two countries in Asia treating sexual infidelity as a criminal offence
Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/20
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan is one of the few countries in the world that still criminalizes adultery.
(Photo courtesy of Flickr）
South Korea decriminalized adultery in 2015, leaving Taiwan and the Philippines the only two countries in Asia treating sexual infidelity as a criminal offence. On Friday, several human rights experts called for the government to decriminalize adultery as in most of the practices women were treated unfairly.
Today, countries governed by Islamic law, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and several states across the United States still prohibit fornication outside marriage.
A five-day review meeting of Taiwan’s Second Report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) was concluded on Friday, during which internationally-acclaimed experts from ten countries touched on several human rights issues happening in Taiwan. The experts urged the government to stop executing its death row prisoners. Other appeals include safeguarding LGBT rights, legally recognizing non-binary genders, and overhauling and updating the sexual education curriculum.
Another appeal that came as no surprise is the call to decriminalize adultery, as the experts say its treatment as a crime “will negatively impact women.” [FULL STORY]
