McDonald's remorseful over sexual assault leading to worker suicide

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) McDonald's has expressed remorse over the suicide of a former employee, after a mother said her 17-year-old daughter killed herself because she had been sexually assaulted by a supervisor at a Taipei branch of the fast-food chain.

"McDonald's deeply regrets the unfortunate death of the former employee and will fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies in their investigation," the company said in a statement on Monday.

The company said it received a "sexual harassment" complaint from a former employee in March, and "immediately" convened a task force composed of professionals from outside the company and members of its legal department in accordance with Taiwan's Gender Equality in Employment Act.

After establishing that "sexual harassment" had taken place, McDonald's dismissed the accused employee, the company said.

McDonald's' statement came in response to a post made on social media platform Threads on Dec. 14, in which the former employee's mother appealed for justice from the company and Taiwan's judicial authorities for her daughter's death.

"Why did my daughter become depressed? Why did she kill herself?" the post said. "Because a former supervisor at McDonald's used his power in assigning shifts to sexually assault her for a year!!"

The mother also posted screenshots of alleged private messages on Instagram between her daughter and the former supervisor dating back to May, in which the man apparently asked the girl how much money it would take for her to drop her sexual harassment complaint.

The post received more than 600 comments and around 1,700 reposts within 10 days, attracting the attention of Taiwanese media.

In response, the Taipei City Police Department's Shilin Precinct said it had transferred the case to prosecutors in May.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the 1925, 1995 or 1980 hotlines in Taiwan for help.