Taipei City Council's Civil Affairs Committee Rejects City Government's Report on McDonald's Case and Others

(Taipei, April 11 — Reporter Yang Shu-min) The Civil Affairs Committee of the Taipei City Council scheduled a special report today from relevant city agencies regarding the Control Yuan's censure of the McDonald's case involving the abuse of a minor female part-time worker and the child abuse incident at the Charis childcare center. Multiple councilors criticized the Department of Labor and the Department of Social Welfare for inadequate improvement measures, leading the committee to reject the special report and reschedule it for a later date.

In late July, the Control Yuan issued a censure against the Taipei City Department of Labor for failing to prioritize the McDonald's case according to the best interests of the child, for not promptly providing or referring necessary resources to the victim under the Gender Equality in Employment Act, and for insufficient inter-departmental coordination.

Today's session, titled "Special Report on Control Yuan Censures: Illegal Abuse of Female Workers at Chain Fast-Food Outlets and Improper Treatment at Charis Childcare Center," was delayed by nearly an hour. Throughout the meeting, councilors raised continuous criticisms.

The Department of Labor outlined improvement measures, including requesting the central Ministry of Labor to enhance the functionality of the "Workplace Sexual Harassment Reporting System." It also pledged to proactively contact employers upon learning of cases involving minors or sexual abuse through other channels, obtain victims' personal information, coordinate with the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center or social welfare agencies to confirm case registration, and require employers to report investigation progress within a deadline, providing corrective or remedial measures as required by law.

The Department of Social Welfare reported plans to assist private childcare centers in establishing cloud-based surveillance backup systems, in coordination with amendments to central regulations. Since future childcare center evaluation indicators and procedures will be uniformly set by the central government, the department will propose including complaint cases in the evaluation criteria during the regulatory revision. It also listed six additional measures, including strengthened inspection and counseling.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilor Lin Liang-chun criticized the Department of Labor for arrogance, stating that the report failed to address the specific issues raised in the censure. Councilor Yen Jo-fang pointed out that the victim was still a minor when the incident occurred. She resigned and filed a report on March 3, 2024, but the Department of Labor only initiated an investigation under the Gender Equality in Employment Act on December 9, 2024, after receiving a complaint from the victim's mother — a nine-month delay in handling a sexual assault case involving a minor.

DPP councilor Chien Shu-pei stated that she continues to receive complaints about Charis Childcare Center, including violations of staff-to-child ratios, over-enrollment, baby cribs blocking emergency exits, infants being placed on the floor, bruises on infants' legs, and parents being denied access to surveillance footage. She also highlighted the anomaly of a former employee circulating among four related facilities, questioning the effectiveness of inspections.

Taiwan People's Party councilor Lin Chen-yu emphasized that the city government should take the lead and let the central government follow. If everything waits for central standards, what is the purpose of local autonomy? Directors Wang Chiu-tung of the Department of Labor and Yao Shu-wen of the Department of Social Welfare denied any such intention. Ultimately, Civil Affairs Committee Chair and Kuomintang councilor Lee Fang-ju ruled that both reports be withdrawn, require supplementation, and be resubmitted for a special report at a later date. (Edited by Lin Shu-hui) 1150811