Reporting sexual assault in Taiwan as an English-speaking adult

You do not need a completed police investigation to seek medical attention after a suspected sexual assault in Taiwan. Article 14 of the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act prohibits medical institutions from refusing treatment or an injury certificate without justification and requires privacy protections during care.

Immediate danger takes priority. Seek a safe place and contact police. Ask for English language assistance, including explanations of examination arrangements and interpretation of your statement; a friend helping you reach services need not be the official interpreter.

Care, evidence and consent

Article 6 requires local authorities to establish sexual-assault prevention centers and coordinate emergency assistance, medical examination and evidence collection, psychological support, emergency accommodation and legal services. These centers may operate together with domestic-violence prevention centers. You can ask the local police or hospital to connect you with that support.

Medical examination and evidence collection generally require the victim’s consent under Article 17, subject to the Criminal Procedure Code and the article’s exceptions for unconsciousness or inability to express a view. Additional rules apply to a person under guardianship and to children. Ask the professional handling the examination to explain each procedure and the applicable consent arrangement in language you understand.

Tell the medical team when the incident occurred, what you remember and whether any relevant item or electronic record remains available. Prompt contact lets professionals assess time-sensitive care and evidence. If time has passed or you have washed or changed clothes, still ask for assistance; do not decide on your own that reporting is pointless. There is no single twenty-four-hour victim-reporting deadline in the provisions discussed here.

Giving a statement with support

A trusted person may accompany a consenting victim during investigation or trial under Article 18. The listed people include specified relatives, medical or counseling professionals, social workers and a person the victim trusts. Exceptions apply if that person is a suspect or defendant, or the investigating authority finds that their presence would obstruct the investigation.

Choose someone you trust. Ask for an interpreter separately where needed, and tell the investigator if the proposed helper witnessed events or has a conflict. Their role as support should not replace a clear record of your own recollection.

A criminal complaint or report may be made in writing or orally to a prosecutor or judicial police officer under Code of Criminal Procedure Article 242. An oral account is recorded. Describe the acts, location, timing and any relationship with the person involved; you do not need to force the facts into a familiar US offense label before seeking help.

What if your memory has gaps? Say so. Retain original messages, travel or ride records and names of people you spoke with near the time. If a sentence in the interpreted statement is inaccurate, ask for the correction to be recorded before signing.

Which cases require a complaint?

Criminal Code Article 221 covers sexual intercourse by force, coercion, threats, hypnosis or other means against the person’s will. Other provisions address different conduct or circumstances, so the charge needs an assessment of the facts.

Many sexual offenses can be prosecuted without a victim’s complaint. Article 229-1 identifies important exceptions: Article 221 or 224 offenses against a spouse, and an Article 227 offense committed by a person under eighteen. Being married does not remove criminal protection; it can affect the complaint requirement.

For an offense requiring a complaint, Article 237 of the Code of Criminal Procedure generally sets six months from when the person entitled to complain learns who the offender is. Do not apply that period to every sexual-assault report. Have the offense, relationship and relevant ages checked promptly, and be clear whether you wish to pursue a complaint.

Privacy, court attendance and costs

Sexual-assault trials are generally closed under Article 27 of the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act. For an adult victim, opening proceedings requires the victim’s consent and the court’s finding of necessity, with further safeguards for the protected categories specified in that provision. Closed proceedings do not eliminate the need for evidence or any later testimony.

Local authorities may grant support for specified medical, evidence-collection, psychological rehabilitation, litigation and lawyer expenses on application under Article 28. Eligibility, amounts and conditions are set locally. Ask the center about the application; do not assume either that a foreign visitor is excluded or that every expense will be paid.

Before returning to the United States, discuss safe contact and service arrangements with the investigator and any representative. Keep the case reference, care records and evidence secure. If the person involved is a partner or family member and contact remains unsafe, the Taiwan protection-order article explains the additional protective route.

Official sources

• Article 14 of the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act
• Article 6
• Article 17
• Article 18
• Code of Criminal Procedure Article 242
• Criminal Code Article 221
• Article 229-1
• Article 237 of the Code of Criminal Procedure
• Article 27 of the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act
• Article 28

Checked: October 8, 2026. Chinese statutory text controls.