# Why has Taiwan proposed a referendum on legalising caning now?

https://mins.news/en/item/26905

- BBC Chinese, 2026-08-20 03:38 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/articles/cn0n418jnj9o/trad?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

> Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan passed a proposal for a referendum on adding judicial caning to the Criminal Code by 52 votes to 51. It would cover sexual assault, child abuse and high-value or aggravated fraud, and could be held alongside local elections on November 28. Supporters say it would deter crime, while rights groups and legal experts cite human-rights and constitutional concerns and a lack of evidence that it works.