Taipei, July 18, 2025 — The Legislative Yuan has officially passed amendments to Taiwan’s Criminal Code, imposing the harshest penalties—including the death sentence—for individuals found guilty of killing or torturing children under the age of seven. The bill, which cleared its third and final reading today, introduces new legal provisions aimed at strengthening protections for young children and addressing public outrage over recent high-profile child abuse cases.
One of the key revisions is the addition of Article 272-1, which stipulates that if a person murders a child under the age of seven, their sentence shall be increased by half. In cases where the child is tortured to death, the offender will face either the death penalty or life imprisonment.
In addition, the legislature amended Article 286 of the Criminal Code. Under the revised version, if abuse against a child under seven results in death, the penalty will be death, life imprisonment, or a minimum of ten years in prison.
Despite strong support for the bill, the decision sparked heated debate among lawmakers, particularly from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), whose caucus voted against the measure. DPP legislator Wu Bingrui, a former judge, argued that the penalties under the amended Article 286 were nearly identical to those in the newly added Article 272-1, raising concerns about legal redundancy and a potentially populist approach to lawmaking.
Fellow DPP lawmaker and former lawyer Zhuang Ruixiong also voiced his objections. While acknowledging that child abuse should be met with the utmost severity, he warned against rushing legislation without thorough legal grounding. Zhuang criticized the decision to include the death penalty under the injury chapter rather than the murder chapter, stating, “We can’t just pick an age threshold and think the problem is solved. What about children who are 8 or 9 years old?”
Zhuang referenced the tragic Qian Qian case, a recent child abuse incident that stirred nationwide grief and anger. He pointed out that even under the existing law, perpetrators could already be sentenced to death, and emphasized the need for careful deliberation over legal reforms involving capital punishment.
The new law reflects growing demands for justice in cases of extreme child abuse, while also highlighting the complex legal and ethical discussions surrounding the use of the death penalty in Taiwan.
