Taipei admits negligence over preschool sexual assault case

Taipei, July 27 (CNA) The Taipei City government on Friday admitted negligence over the handling of a preschool sexual assault case in 2022, and said two of its departments will be punished by a performance review committee.

The Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare are both to be blamed for their negligence and are to be punished by the city's performance review committee, said a city government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The case will also be referred to the Control Yuan, the top government watchdog, for investigation, the official added.

His remarks came in the wake of a case involving a Taipei private preschool teacher Mao Chun-shen (毛畯珅), who was indicted in August 2023 on charges of sexually abusing six children. A verdict on the case is expected in August 2024.

Mao, 30, was investigated multiple times for sexual abuse against minors by the authorities. The first complaints were filed in June 2022, but Mao continued to teach at the Taipei Piramide School (台北市私立培諾米達幼兒園), which was owned by his mother, until he was detained a year later in July 2023.

The city government has been accused of failing to effectively handle the case, prompting Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) to deliver an apology on July 17 to the children and their parents and promise to improve the city's policies and procedures.

Deficiencies in cross-department communication and the two departments' failure to discuss and work together on complaints received via the reporting mechanism were some of the issues identified regarding the case's handling, the official said.

Also, the Department of Education at first hand did not immediately suspend the suspect from teaching at the preschool nor bring the institution under supervision, all of which reflect the lack of sensitivity toward the matter by its personnel, the official added.

According to the official, the city government has proposed a slew of improvement measures, including immediately suspending a suspect from duty once a complaint is received and establishing a cross-department response team to investigate and supervise the matter.

A standard of procedure will also be set up to enhance the city's multiple control mechanism, while expanding the background screening of teachers and staffers working at local preschools and childcare centers, he added.

The city government, meanwhile, is also seeking to increase its budget to recruit more people to improve its investigation efficiency when handling such matters, as well as provide the necessary training needed, he said.