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Taiwan abuses foreign workers ― a serious problem! The entry or reentry "international workers" are "foreign laborers", mostly
★ this site's world No. 1
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Taiwan |
Taiwan |
abuses foreign workers for years |
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★ LaborRights.org, 2022-4-7 (laborrights.org/publications/comments-concerning-ranking-taiwan-united-states-department-state-2022-trafficking):
In 2022, the SWG finds that Taiwan should be downgraded to Tier 2 due to the government’s failure to meet the minimum standards as set forth in the TVPA, particularly in the following key areas: (1) failure to systematically identify trafficking victims; (2) inherent risks of human trafficking in the current employment system for migrant workers; (3) failure to regulate recruitment agencies and practices; (4) an impractical human trafficking law that prevents prosecution; and (5) and limited and ineffective partnerships with local and international NGOs.
Due to the existence of several policies that discriminate against migrant workers and provide insufficient protection, the migrant worker population has long been considered one of the most vulnerable groups in Taiwan. Most workers in Taiwan, regardless of their nationality, are protected by the Labor Standard Act (2020). However, migrant fishers working on Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels, as well as migrant domestic workers, have been left out by this law and are given fewer legal protections. Compared with nationals, these workers are at a much higher risk of forced labor and human trafficking. Despite NGOs’ reporting and the media coverage on migrant workers being abused and exploited, the Taiwanese government has taken a relatively passive attitude towards ensuring their rights and prosecuting those involved in exploiting these workers
The government officials only consider superficial
indicators of human trafficking and do not review potential trafficking in
persons cases in-depth and holistically. As a
result, cases of suspected forced labor or human trafficking are labeled as mere
labor disputes between employers and employees...
PROSECUTION : These numbers seem
impossibly low
Year/Type of trafficking | Sex trafficking | Labor exploitation |
2017 | 108 | 37 |
2018 | 95 | 38 |
2019 | 111 | 32 |
2020 | 130 | 29 |
2021 | 80 | 18 |
★ The GreenPeace Org., 2022-9-29:
Taiwan-caught fish once again on Department of Labor's (DOL) List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor,which sends a solid alarm to the Taiwanese government and the distant water fishing industry. Although Taiwan made some commitments, it's far from enough to change this current system that is seemingly designed to exploit people and our ocean. Some fisher was reportedly beaten and threatened with knives onboard a vessel, while others reported having only four hours of sleep a day on a different vessel. greenpeace.org/usa/news/taiwan-caught-fish-once-again-on-department-of-labors-dol-list-of-goods-produced-by-child-labor-or-forced-labor/
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nGreenPeace,
2022-4-25:
The high seas fishing industry uses
cost-cutting and illegal fishing
tactics, forced labor, and other
human rights abuses to stay
profitable.
To
prevent such tragedy from happening
again, Taiwan must amend its related
laws and regulations and conduct
port inspections on both
Taiwanese-owned and -flagged, as
well as Taiwanese-owned and Flag Of
Convenience vessels. In particular,
Taiwan should ensure its laws and
regulations are in line with the
International Labour Organisation’s
C-188 convention, set minimum
working standards for all fishers,
and conduct law-binding labor
inspections in its ports.
greenpeace.org/international/press-release/53401/nine-indicted-abusing-crew-taiwan-fishing-vessel-dawang/
nCTS
News
(華視)
,
2022-10-2:Taiwanese
fishing goods have been included in the list of goods produced by child labor or
forced labor like XinJiang cotton and blood diamonds. Some fishing vessels
are "convenient vessel" (registered in some Pacific island country to avoid some
restrictions) which are associated with illegal boats, and not only those
vessels made mistakes. The workers accused the captain of beating and
electrocuting the crew members, and even an Indonesian worker died for that.
Some foreign media named Taiwan's fish-catch as "sweaty seafood";
A migrant worker accuses that his boss hits their back-neck, kicks them, even throws them a
sharp-point object...
they sleep 3 hours per day, have no enough food to eat...
youtube.com/watch?v=883RKbiz6X0 nSeaFoodSource, 2020-10-1: Taiwan had largely overlooked the rights of migrant fishers - immigrant workers with an average of just 2 to 3 hours sleep. If no fish were caught, they were forced to work up to 34 hours straight. ...experienced beatings from his captain, and at times, from fellow crew members who were ordered to do so by the captain ... also witnessed the deaths of fellow migrant fishers from abusive working conditions, their bodies wrapped up and stored in the freezer or thrown into the sea.That lack of oversight, is part of why laborers still often face human rights abuses. seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/us-includes-taiwan-on-forced-labor-list-due-to-fishing-industry-abuses |
★ justsecurity.org,
Focus Taiwan, Taipei Times, etc, 2022-5-13:
Invited by Taiwan's government, an international
human rights experts panel conducted a five-day review from May
9-13 in Taipei of the country's implementation of two United Nations'
human rights-related covenants, namely the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
Taiwan’s failure thus far to incorporate the Convention on Migrant Workers or to adopt a domestic workers protection law is of additional concern given the vulnerability of these workers — many of them women who provide crucial long-term services to the elderly and disabled — to adverse, discriminatory measures related to the pandemic. Their precariousness is further underlined by their low pay, lack of union representation, and the subordination of their bargaining power to the interests of the governments of their home countries because of Taiwan’s reliance on a Philippines-style labor-export model.
Many of these workers are identifiable as observant Muslims because of their
dress, and are of Southeast Asian (primarily Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian,
and Vietnamese) origin, which differentiates them from most of the population in
Taiwan and could make them susceptible to forms of discrimination that are not
regulated – hence the need to incorporate the convention’s terms into law. The
committee also noted the need to bring migrant workers within the protections of
Taiwan’s overall system of labor regulation and received multiple reports
regarding limitations on migrant workers’ rights to change employment, to obtain
permanent residency, and bars to the migration of family members, resulting in
the induced separation of families. The committee also noted its concerns
regarding widespread reports of abuses against the conditions of labor for
fisheries workers. Many of these are also migrants.
★ United
Daily, 2022-11-2:
The number of migrant workers is reducing, which is killing
long-term care families / In the past 2 years, applying for a foreign
care-giver takes one year. In hospital, you can not get a care-taker, no
matter legal or illegal, even offering very high price.
udn.com/news/story/7339/6732218?from=udn_ch2cate6643sub7339_pulldownmenu_v2
★ TTV
news, 2023-1-11:
Humanized Care ?
/
According to statistics, 822 thousands of Taiwanese need Long-term
care service, but the number of long-term care users is 561 thousands, which
accounts for 68.34%.
Those disable (elders) can only has resident care-giver to come when he or she wakes up and goes to bed.
The rest of the time, due to economic factors, he cannot hire one
to take care of him. For example, the urine bag must wait for the care-giver to come.
The disable who need 24 hours service can live in institutions, but those with a
disability level of 8th are only given subsidy NTD 5,000 per month, which
is far from enough. Only 30% of them are willing to enter institution.
By 2022, the total number
residential long-term care institutions (an annual subsidy
of NTD 60,000 was given to more than 40,000 people in 2021),
senior
citizen welfare institutions,
nursing homes, and
veterans homes
is , in total,
1,669.
Taiwan's long-term care policies must be constantly updated to meet diverse needs.
ttv.com.tw/videocity/video_play.asp?id=646517
★ The Guardian, 2022-5-9: Taiwan is now dealing with an “Omicron tsunami”. In factories, migrant workers have once again been discriminated against with unequal rule enforcement and eased restrictions (theguardian.com/world/2022/may/09/once-a-zero-covid-poster-child-taiwan-learns-to-live-with-the-virus)
★ US Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices
released at 2022-4-12
(state.gov/reports/2021-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/taiwan/):
★ illegal migrant workers at large, the government sit aside |
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United Daily, 2022-8-5 | one out of ten migrant workers became illegal workers, a loop-hole of underworld gangs or drug dealers vip.udn.com/vip/story/122367/6515571?from=udn-category |
United Daily, 2022-7-31 | The agents urge Taiwanese government to take lessons from Singapore and no longer assist foreign laborers in running away - many of care-givers dropped the vulnerable who need to be cared most vip.udn.com/vip/story/121942/6500874?from=vipudn_recommendation |
United Daily, 2022-7-31 |
Taiwan police disclose that their superiors are unhappy about arresting
run-away
migrant workers vip.udn.com/vip/story/121942/6501037?from=vipudn_recommendation |
United Daily, 2022-7-24 | 90% families applying for foreign care-givers have been waiting, some lucky ones will worry the care-giver is going to escape as soon as they got one. Does our government still sit aside to see these happen again and again ? vip.udn.com/vip/story/121942/6484067?from=vipudn_recommendation |
★ TTV news (台視 新聞"熱線追蹤") , 2022-7-
16 3:42pm: Although the number of nurse-aides to home has risen, the supply could never meet the demand.
★
TTV news (台視 新聞) ,
Taiwan, 2022-6-23
8:44am:
migrant workers policy comparison | ||
Taiwan | Japan | S. Korea |
monthly salary NT$ 17 thousands, after 6 years $24 thousands, 5 more years later, entitled to apply for permanent residency | salary NT$ 43 thousands, 2 days off per week | salary NT$ 36 thousands, plus welfare |
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