April 20th Lecture on Democratizing Taiwan

Democratizing Taiwan Presentation by and discussion with the author: Prof. J. Bruce Jacobs
(h.t. to Jerome Keating)

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Note: It is preposterous that this lecture is included under the umbrella of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China. Taiwan IS NOT part of contemporary China! However the lecture itself should be interesting.

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20 April (Friday) 14:30
B202 RCHSS Academia Sinica


Taiwan—together with India, Japan and South Korea—is one of only four consolidated Asian democracies. Democratizing Taiwan provides the most comprehensive analysis of Taiwan's peaceful democratization including its past violent authoritarian experiences, leadership both within and outside government, popular protest and elections, and constitutional interpretation and amendments. Using extensive field research including the conduct of many interviews with government and party leaders, journalists, academics and a wide variety of citizens over many years as well as substantial research into documents, newspapers and academic research, Professor Jacobs provides many new insights into Taiwan's democratization. He also analyses areas in which Taiwan continues to face difficulties.

J. Bruce Jacobs is Professor of Asian Languages and Studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He received his PhD from Columbia University in 1975. Professor Jacobs has published numerous works on Taiwan and China over the past forty years.


The seminar will be held in English. The session will be chaired by Dr Paul JOBIN, Director of CEFC Taipei.


Contact: cefc@gate.sinica.edu.tw
French Centre for Research on Contemporary China - Taipei Office
Centre d’Etudes Français sur la Chine contemporaine (CEFC) - Antenne de Taipei
http://www.cefc.com.hk/taipei
Tel : (886-2) 2789-0873 - Fax : (886-2) 2789-0874

Why did Ma legalize prostitution -- to expand opportunities for his cronies to make money? The following lecture will look at the law's effects.

(h.t. to Jerome Keating)

April 15th

Center for Public Theology Event:
Tera van Twillert, head of the Pearl Family Garden (珍珠家園) Women's Center, to speak on the social welfare and care of sex workers in Taipei post-legalization.

In November 2011, the Ma government introduced changes to the Social Order and Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) making prostitution legal in Taiwan. Now 5 months later, what is the situation on the street?

In the debates leading up to the change, those for legalization as well as those against were equally critical of the proposed legislation. A major concern was that the Ma government was allowing for an expansion of the sex trade, without offering an adequate welfare framework that would care for the rights of the women involved. In this case, the responsibility of offering education and welfare for sex workers, and fighting exploitation and human trafficking would continue to fall back on the NGOs and churches already struggling with this burden.

In this first half-year following the legalization of prostitution, has the situation changed for sex workers and the organizations that care for them?

Further details can be found here.

Speaker:
Tera van Twillert is a long-term OMF mission worker, and team leader of the Pearl Family Garden (珍珠家園) women's center in Wan Hwa (萬華), a church-based welfare group that has a long history of supporting women involved in the sex trade. She will present a lecture on the current problems facing sex workers and the programs that church-based groups are running in order to address those problems. The presentation will be followed by an open Q&A session.

Event: The Work of the Gospel among Sex Workers in Taiwan
Speaker: Tera van Twillert, Pearl Family Garden (珍珠家園)
Date: 15 April, 2012
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Location: Large Conference Room – Center for the Study of Christian Thought
Taiwan Theological College and Seminary
20, Lane 2, Sec. 2 YangDe Blvd
Shilin Taipei 111

Note: This event will be held in Mandarin.