Taiwan's #MeToo movement is still ongoing

Taiwan’s #MeToo movement started in May 2023 and it has yet to end today. Other than rousing a nationwide investigation and exposure of s e x ual harassment and assault crimes within Taiwanese politics, several celebrities have also been accused of sexual assault and harassment.

Content Warning: This gallery contains descriptions of s e xual assault and harassment.

As reported by The New York Times, the #MeToo movement started in 2006 when s e x ual assault survivor and activist Tarana Burke rallied for victims of assault in the workplace over social media through sharing their experiences and outing their assaulters through social media.

According to Newsweek, the #MeToo movement is best known for exposing the crimes of film producer Harvey Weinstein back in October 2017 and for its success in convicting him of his crimes and has since become a widespread international movement.

The Guardian reports that Taiwan's turn for #MeToo came earlier this year in May 2023, when Chen Chien-jou, a former staff member of Taiwan's ruling political party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), accused a film director of s e xually harassing and assaulting her in 2018.

Continuing from another report from The Guardian, Chen Chien-jou’s accusation on Facebook went viral due to her affiliation with the nation’s ruling political party, but also because she had accused the head of the DPP’s women’s affairs department, Xu Jia-tian, of dismissing her claims and ignoring her report of harassment and assault.

In response to Chen Chien-jou’s post, The Straits Times reports that the head of the DPP and president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, made two public apologies for the party’s mishandling of the issue and launched an internal investigation into the matter.

According to Bloomberg, several members of the DPP and other political parties have resigned since then, and the incident sparked a nationwide reckoning on how s e xual assault and harassment have been dealt with in workplaces around Taiwan, as well as a public cry for justice to be served for victims of assault in the country.

According to The Guardian, Chen Chien-jou was inspired to come forward with her testimony from watching the Netflix series ‘Wave Makers’. The show had a storyline that centered around the problem of dealing with s e xual harassment, and it inspired Chen Chein-jou to come forward.

Image: Netflix

Encouraged by Chen Chien-jou's impact on forcing accountability in Taiwanese politics, many others have come forward to extend the accusations beyond the political sphere, accusing others in the entertainment industry of s e xual harassment and assault.

Image: Weibo

From ABC News, TV host NONO, also known as Chen Hsuan-yu, has been accused by more than 20 women of s e xual harassment and assault.

Image: LiTV

The wave of accusations against NONO started when former model Amber Chang recounted an incident with a then-unnamed variety show host who had s e xually assaulted her and told her to “get accustomed to it” in June, reports Channel News Asia.

Image: Weibo

From the same report, despite not naming the celebrity in her revelation, Amber Chang gave identifying details about the celebrity, saying that he owns a successful fried chicken cutlet business and is married to a singer. NONO owns Monga, a fried chicken cutlet chain in Taiwan, and is married to Taiwanese singer Angel Chu.

Image: Angel Chu / Facebook

The Straits Times reports that despite having denied the initial accusation and revelation from Amber Chang, NONO has since been accused by more women, some of whom have been angered by his denial of Amber Chang’s accusation.

Image: Weibo

From Mothership, prominent livestreamer Anissa, also known online as 'Xiaohonglaoshi,' came forward with her own account of being sexually harassed and assaulted by NONO.

Image: Weibo

Following his denial of Amber Chang's accusation, Anissa held a press conference to share all of the accounts of more than 20 women who have come forward to rally against him and share their experiences with the TV host.

Image: Weibo

Since the press conference, The Straits Times reports that NONO has decided to take a hiatus from the entertainment industry. Anissa has also come forward with an updated tally of more than 30 women to file charges against NONO for s e xual assault and harassment.

Image: LiTV

8days reports that in an update in October, NONO is still being investigated by the police while on bail for the assault claims. He has been pulled in by Taiwanese authorities for identification, as his accusers have included reports detailing his nether regions in explicit detail.

Image: Weibo

Other than NONO, Aaron Yan of Taiwanese boy band Fahrenheit fame, has also been accused of s e xual assault and harassment. Taiwan Focus reports that Aaron Yan had been accused by Taiwanese influencer Raku of filming him without consent during s e x, while the latter was just 16 years old at the time.

Image: aayan1120 / Instagram

The Straits Times reports that Raku and Aaron Yan were in a relationship when they were 16 and 31, respectively. Raku alleged that Aaron Yan had not only filmed him without consent but had also s e xually assaulted the minor when he was asleep.

Image: aayan1120 / Instagram

Aaron Yan has since admitted to their relationship in June, and investigations are still ongoing. Another report from The Straits Times notes that Aaron Yan is now being investigated for violating Taiwan’s Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act and barred from leaving the country.

Image: aayan1120 / Instagram

According to Channel News Asia, other celebrities accused in Taiwan’s #MeToo movement include Mickey Huang, Chris Wang, Jeffrey Hsu, Hsu Nai-Lin and Blackie Chen. Just like for NONO and Aaron Yan, the consequences for them are still unfolding.

Image: LiTV