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TAIPEI – Since the beginning of December, six retailers have removed Fu Wan Chocolate products from their shelves and halted their collaborations with the Taiwanese chocolate company, after an internet user posted details of a five-year sexual harassment case online that It involved the former president of the company and an intern.
The intern, who worked at Fu Wan in 2015, had accused then-President Hsu Feng-chia of sexually harassing her at work, which resulted in Mr. Hsu being sentenced to six months in jail, which was later commuted to a penalty fee.
He was also removed from office the same year.
The internet user posted details of the crime in November on Taiwan’s Dcard forum, the local equivalent of Reddit, prompting many consumers to stop buying Fu Wan products. Several food manufacturers also cut their collaborations with the company.
Based in southern Taiwan, Fu Wan Chocolate is known for its locally produced chocolates that have won awards in many international competitions.
A week after Dcard was released, consumer backlash prompted major food manufacturers Laurel Corp and Kuai Kuai to recall products that made with Fu Wan Chocolate. They also announced that they would donate the proceeds from previous sales of these products to charities.
The Japanese donut chain Mister Donut also stopped selling products containing Fu Wan chocolate, and the French hypermarket chain Carrefour removed all Fu Wan chocolate bars from its stores in Taiwan.
But lawmakers and experts on gender equality believe more can be done.
Fan Yun, a legislator from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, led a press conference on December 17 in which she called on the Labor Ministry to amend gender equality laws to give employees more protection in cases of sexual harassment in the job.
Fan and fellow legislator Hung Sun-han said that Taiwan’s current Gender Equality in Employment Act discourages victims of sexual harassment from filing complaints if the perpetrator is their employer, as the law requires companies to investigate the complaints themselves before taking further action.
Cho Keng-yu, who sits on the board of the Education Ministry’s Gender Equity Education Committee, noted that an investigation by the company would have a muzzling effect.
“In most cases of sexual harassment in the Taiwanese workplace, victims are reluctant to speak up because they fear losing their jobs,” said Cho, who has also provided counseling to employers accused of sexually abusing their employees. .
To remedy the situation, lawmakers are proposing an amendment that would allow victims to approach local authorities if their employer or supervisor is the perpetrator.
Ms. Huang Yi-ling, Executive Director of the Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Liaison, echoed Mr. Cho’s views.
“The law requires companies to find a solution with the victims. A case is brought to the attention of the authorities and recorded in government data only when it is not resolved within the company,” Ms. Huang noted.
This means that government data on sexual harassment cases is not accurate and may not reflect a growing number of victims in Taiwan taking action against their stalkers as the #MeToo movement spreads in Asia.
According to Fan, Fu Wan Chocolate is the first company to face a boycott of its products due to sexual harassment within the company.
But while the boycott action has gained traction, Huang said the public quickly forgets these issues.
He said there should be a monitoring of the culture of a company to ensure that the work environment is safe for employees.
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