變調的兒童保護

Abstract

藉著檢視美國兒保運動在歷史脈絡中的轉折，本文試圖探討台灣這十年來兒童保護風潮的實質面貌。不論是十九世紀末不利低社經階層的個體道德論述，或進入二十世紀中葉時跨社經階層之個體醫療論述，在台灣所謂的「兒童保護」的系統中皆可尋其痕跡。作者欲探求在台灣整個運動發展中的一些議題，例如民問社服機構的動員相對於政府欠權力介入、政府科層體制中的專業自主、專業相對於案主的權力關係、對家庭及母職(motherhood)的意識形態又如何在其中影響？筆者將引用過去兩年針對台灣地區所蒐集的相關實徵資料來建構立論，整個兒童保護運動可能也是近十年台灣所謂社會福利體系建構的縮影，議題的出現(被建構)、操弄背後的運作邏輯正是作者感興趣的，也希望能加以發掘。

This paper attempts to explore the essence of child protection in Taiwan in the last ten years, in contrast to the transitions of child protection movement in the United States in its historical context. In the United States, "the personal moral discourse" worked against the low SES families in the 19th century, while "the medical discourse" attacted the whole range of SES families in the mid-twentieth century. The child protection system in Taiwan seemed to be affecked by both discourse. The author attempts to uncover some of the issues regarding the child protection phenomenum in Taiwan, such as (1) private agencies taking initiatives before governmental responses or intervention, (2) limited professional autonomy in the governmental bureaucracy, (3) conflict of interest between profession and clientele, (4) possible impact of the myth about motherhood and family on the decision-making of a CPS worker. The above speculations are supported by the empirical data collected in Taiwan by this author in the last two years. Child protection in Taiwan may be considered as a microcosm of the welfare development in Taiwan in the last ten years. The underlying logics of the above emerging issues calls for further attention from the academicals.