Issue date: JAN. 22, 2022
Issuing unit:School Physical Education Division
Unit contact person: Lin Chun-Fei
Tel: 02-8771-1016
Email: doreen@mail.sa.gov.tw
Media contact: Acting Section Chief: Chang Sheng-Nian
Tel: 02-8771-1018
E-mail：snjhang@mail.sa.gov.tw
Taiwan is surrounded by the ocean and water. Complete the knowledge of water safety, water sports resources and water experience are thus very important. Only with the knowledge of water safety and response ability that we could enjoy the beauty of water activities fully when engaging in them. The government will continue to collect and analyze data on student drowning incidents in the future. The water safety advocacy films will be designed with sea and rivers/streams as the background, and with falls and drowning as the scenarios to create teaching films on water safety trends in Taiwan. To guide the education bureaus of county and city governments to take inter-agency cooperation as the main theme, there needs to be continuing implementation of swimming ability courses, referring to advanced swimming countries’ self-rescue education content, adjusting the swimming and self-rescue courses all levels in schools, and supplementing training of self-rescue instructors. These things will aid in aligning with the trends of the times and create a safe water environment.
The World Health Organization released the” Global Drowning Report” in 2014, pointing out that the problem of drowning is seriously neglected internationally. It said that government and research institutions should formulate countermeasures to integrate drowning prevention with the public health agenda as a priority for policy and suggest governments adjust and implement effective drowning prevention planning, update and analyze data and draw up an inter-agency cooperation mechanism according to the national situation. The Sports Administration has promoted students’ water sports and activities for years and worked to build awareness of water safety so that students can experience the ocean safely and diversely. Under the Executive Yuan’s “Ocean Taiwan” policy, it will continue to assist regional centers adapt to local conditions and integrate the power of industry, government, and academia. This will allow and promote water sports with regional characteristics.
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Drowning
Prevention
strategy
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Drowning prevention strategy of
The World Health Organization
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Drowning prevention strategy of Taiwan
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Increasing student water self-rescue ability
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Plan to Improve students’ Swimming Ability implemented since 2001
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Increasing citizen water safety awareness
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Putting up posters to promote knowledge about drowning prevention; promoting water safety through social media
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Enhancing inter-agency cooperation
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City/county inter-unit execution of water area management, inspecting and replacing warning signs and lifesaving equipment
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Analyzing drowning data
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Assigning staff to patrol to prevent downing, reporting drowning data and updating the related situation
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Taiwan’s Student Water Safety Implementation Strategy Plan follows the guidelines of WHO. Taking promotion of “student swimming ability” as an example, the Sports Administration promotes a medium-term plan to improve student swimming ability, Student Swimming Ability 121 and the Swimming Up Project. To “increase citizen water safety awareness”, various local governments and schools at all levels not only post posters, but also play marquees near dangerous waters to promote water safety; regarding "enhancing inter-agency cooperation in each area", a water safety conference is held every year; officials at or above the secretary-general level of various agencies discuss collaborative methods for preventing drowning. As for “drowning data analysis execution policy”, through the optimization of the school safety reporting system at all levels, the Sports Administration updates water safety policy and guides local government education bureaus to continue to protect the water safety of students as an important theme.
Our government’s promotion of these plans resulted in the number of students drowning falling from a high of 80 in 2005 to 21 in 2020. Although implementation has achieved excellent results, our water safety and drowning prevention policies are not perfect. The World Health Organization has given clear instructions on how the government protects the right to live and the future of the people in Taiwan. Not only is an inter-agency partnership for drowning prevention required, strengthening of public awareness of drowning risk, formulation of water safety plans and collecting of data to promote drowning prevention are also important. As life is priceless, the Sports Administration will continue to actively protect students’ safety to avoid tragedies happening again. People should recognize their own swimming ability and conduct risk assessments when attending any water recreational activities. Paying attention to changes in the environment and following the 10 Tips for preventing drowning are also essential.
10 Tips for preventing drowning
- Places to play in the water must be legal, with life-saving equipment and lifeguards.
- Avoid dangerous behavior, no diving.
- Be careful when swimming or playing in unfamiliar waters
- Don’t be left alone, keep an eye on your peers.
- Warm up before entering the water, never wear jeans in the water.
- Don't mess about or play pranks in the water.
- Do not enter the water if you are tired or unwell.
- Do not soak in water for a long time to avoid body temperature drop.
- Pay attention to the weather report. Don’t play in the water if the weather is bad on-site.
- Strengthen swimming and floating skills and stay calm if you unfortunately fall into the water