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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
in 2020,
2017~19,
2016,
2015, 2014,
2013,
2010~12
★
Top
rankings since 1998 ★
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★ National Geographic, 11-25-2020 : Wildlife crimes and human rights abuses plague Taiwanese fishing vessels ...illegal dolphin catching, shark finning, and physical and verbal abuse ... The assaults, Indonesian worker Supri says, included his being locked in a freezer when he was still wet from having taken a shower, and being beaten, sprayed in the face with a hose, and shocked with an electric stun gun. In a recent report, the EJF said that abuse of crew members—along with illegal fishing for sharks and dolphins, among other species—is common in Taiwan’s distant-water fishing fleet, one of the world’s largest with more than a thousand vessels. China and Taiwan represent nearly 60 percent of the world’s distant-water fishing vessels. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/11/taiwan-fishing-vessels-perpetuate-illegal-fishing-human-rights-abuses/
★ US state government - 2019 Trafficking in persons report, Jun. 2020
Although Taiwan met the minimum standards, significant challenges remained unaddressed. Official stakeholders operated under disparate and often ineffective victim identification procedures, complicating some victims’ access to justice and protective care. Insufficient staffing and inspection protocols continued to impede efforts to combat forced labor on Taiwan-flagged and -owned fishing vessels in the highly vulnerable Distant Water Fleet (DWF). Thousands of migrant domestic caregivers remained at higher risk of exploitation in the absence of specific legislation ensuring their labor rights
Taiwan through fraudulent marriages and deceptive employment offers for purposes of sex trafficking. Many trafficking victims are migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and, to a lesser extent, individuals from China, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. Taiwan is host to more than 700,000 foreign workers, most of whom are hired in their home countries through recruitment agencies and brokers—including some from Taiwan—to perform low-skilled work as home caregivers and domestic workers, or in farming, manufacturing, meat processing, construction, and fishing. In order to pay brokers’ often exorbitantly high recruitment fees and deposits, some foreign workers incur ubstantial debts, which the brokers or employers use as tools of coercion to obtain or retain their labor. After recruitment fee and guarantee deposit repayments are garnished from their wages, many foreign workers in Taiwan earn significantly less than the minimum wage. Foreign workers who leave their contracted positions—nearly 50,000 at any given time— are at particularly high risk of trafficking because they lose their immigration status and access to formal sector employment; some of them initially flee due to abusive work conditions, including forced labor. Domestic workers and home caregivers are also especially vulnerable to exploitation, since they often live in their employers’ residences, making it difficult to monitor their working and living conditions. One NGO survey found that 90 percent of all migrant domestic caregivers have their travel and identity documents withheld by their employers as a coercive measure. Brokers in Taiwan sometimes assist employers in forcibly deporting “problematic” foreign employees should they complain, enabling brokers to fill the empty positions with new foreign workers facing continued debt-based coercion. Some traffickers use Indonesian-owned stores in Taiwan as illegal remittance channels, confining Indonesian workers and subjecting them to sex trafficking. Traffickers reportedly take advantage of Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy” visa-simplification program to lure Southeast Asian students and tourists to Taiwan and subject them to forced labor and sex trafficking. According to NGOs, more than 200 forprofit universities in Taiwan have begun aggressively recruiting foreign students—particularly Indonesians—and subsequently placing them into exploitative labor conditions under the pretense of educational opportunities. These students are often unaware of the work component prior to arrival and reportedly experience contract switching, prohibitive working hours, and poor living conditions contrary to their original agreements. Documented and undocumented Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Vietnamese fishermen working on Taiwan-owned and -flagged fishing vessels experience non- or under-payment of wages, long working hours, physical abuse, lack of food or medical care, denial of sleep and substandard safety equipment, and poor living conditions while indebted to complex, multinational brokerage networks. Migrant fishermen have reported senior crewmembers employ such coercive tactics as threats of physical violence, beatings, withholding of food and water ... full text : https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report-2020/
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United Daily 11-30-2020 :
Accounts of abusive conditions and forced labor have prompted the U.S. to halt imports from a Taiwan-based fishing vessel that reportedly has supplied the global tuna trading company that acquired Bumble Bee Seafoods this year. https://www.startribune.com/us-blocks-imports-linked-to-taiwan-based-fishing-vessel/572173572/
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★
US Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices released at 3-11-2020
:
Foreign workers were most susceptible to forced labor, especially when
serving as crew members on Taiwan-flagged fishing vessels. Some labor brokers
charged foreign workers exorbitant recruitment fees and used debts incurred from
these fees in the source country as tools of coercion to subject the workers to
debt bondage. The Ministry of Labor may also permit foreign workers to
transfer to new employers in cases of exploitation or abuse. foreign
workers often were reluctant to report employer abuses for fear the employer
would terminate the contract and deport them, leaving them unable to reimburse
debt accrued during the recruitment process. The approximately 703,000
foreign workers, primarily from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and
Vietnam, were vulnerable to exploitation. Foreign workers generally incurred
significant debt burdens during the recruitment process due to excessive
brokerage fees, guarantee deposits, and higher charges for flights and
accommodations. Brokerage agencies. Abuse was common in domestic
service; there were several reports of employers raping foreign domestic
helpers. Mistreatment and poor working conditions for foreign fishermen
remained common. Foreign fishermen recruited offshore were not entitled to the
same labor rights, wages.
★ US Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices released at 3-13-2019
: The approximately
600,000 foreign workers, primarily from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand,
and Vietnam, were vulnerable to exploitation. Foreign workers generally
faced exploitation and incurred significant debt burdens during the recruitment
process due to excessive brokerage fees, guarantee deposits, and higher charges
for flights and accommodations. Mistreatment and poor working conditions
for foreign fishermen remained common. Foreign fishermen recruited offshore were
not entitled to the same labor rights, wages, insurance, and pensions as those
recruited locally. The Ministry of Labor may also permit foreign
workers’ transfer to new employers in cases of exploitation or abuse.
Brokerage agencies often required workers to take out loans for “training” and
other fees at local branches of Taiwan banks in their home countries at high
interest rates, leaving them vulnerable to debt bondage.
★
★ US state government - 2019 Trafficking in persons report, Jun. 2019
www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report-2/taiwan/
Although Taiwan met the minimum standards, separation of purview between the Ministry of Labor (MOL) and the Fisheries Agency (FA), coupled with insufficient inspection protocols, continued to impede efforts to address forced labor on Taiwan-flagged and -owned fishing vessels in the highly vulnerable Distant Water Fleet (DWF). Authorities detained, investigated, and in some cases charged dozens of Taiwan individuals formally designated by a foreign government as victims of forced criminality.
As reported in the last five years, human traffickers subject foreign men and women to forced labor and sex trafficking in Taiwan, and traffickers subject local men and women to forced labor and local women and children to sex trafficking. Taiwan women and children are subjected to domestic sex trafficking, including as part of an increasing trend in which traffickers induce and take advantage of Taiwan and foreign women’s and children’s drug addictions to subject them to sex trafficking. Taiwan traffickers increasingly use the internet, smartphone apps, livestreaming, and other such online technologies to conduct recruitment activities, often targeting child victims, and to mask their identities from law enforcement.
Traffickers lure women from China and Southeast Asian countries to Taiwan through fraudulent marriages and deceptive employment offers for purposes of sex trafficking. Many trafficking victims are migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and to a lesser extent, individuals from China, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.
Documented and undocumented Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Vietnamese
fishermen working on Taiwan-flagged and -owned fishing vessels experience non-
or under-payment of wages, long working hours, physical abuse, lack of food or
medical care, denial of sleep, and poor living conditions while indebted to
complex, multinational brokerage networks. Migrant fishermen have reported
senior crewmembers employ such coercive tactics as threats of physical violence,
beatings, withholding of food and water, and pay deductions to retain their
labor.
★
★
Formosa TV (民視英語新聞) English News at
3-25-2019:
In 2018, a total of 500 people in
tour groups ran off... All workers from Southeast Asia know that in
Taiwan there are no consequences for getting caught, so why not run for it?
Even on social media, they openly say that Taiwan is the perfect place to run
away...
construction, agriculture and caretaking are
the main sectors where escapees end up ...
Brokerage fees are not the main cause for escaping. That's an erroneous
assumption. Over half of the workers that run away are caretakers.
Many workers flee in hopes of
finding better-paying jobs.
But after running away, many end up realizing
that the promises of higher wages were all lies.
They paid same wages
(as working legally), but gave
laborers harder
work to do. 
illegal migrants
New ! UDN 2-6-2020: illegal
foreign workers might be loophole of Taiwan's CoronaVirus epidemic prevention.
At Feb. 26, 2020, within 5 hours Taiwan
police arrested an illegal foreign worker who took care of a CoronaVirus patient a number of days ago,
but, without CoronaVirus involved,
Taiwanese officials catch no illegal migrant workers, you can tell whether or not
Taiwan gov. is part of crime structure?
★ United Daily (聯合報),12-28-2019: Foreign laborers' first concern is not the laws (法律不是外勞 的第一優先考量).
★
★
a 140-meter Bridge collapse in Taiwan at
Oct. 1, 2019
, all dead are foreign
laborers or migrant workers
(fishermen) /
HK01.com, 10-5-2019
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New
York Post,
10-3-2019
: The dead, 3 Indonesians and 3 Filipinos, were drawn to work in
Taiwan vast fishing fleet where condition can be difficult ...
◆ UDN Taiwan, 10-6-2019: why do foreign fishermen human rights problems happened
repeatedly ? two key points are (1) part of the law and decrees, measures
are no good (2) not well enforce the law and decrees
◆
Economic Daily, United Daily, 7-10-2019:
Taiwan gov. statistics in recent 3 years
show that about
one foreign laborer suffered
occupational injury in every single day,
one died every other day, 1065 disabled
in recent 3 years.
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pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword
"international laborers in Taiwan", 11-26-2020, 8-8-2020
pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword "international workers in Taiwan", 8-8-2020, 7-31-2020; No.2 at 11-26-2020
pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword "international workers in Taiwan", 3-26-2020, 1-21-2020
pic. : No.1
"foreign laborers in Taiwan"
on Yahoo search engine
,
3-26-2020,
2-11-2020
pic. : No.1 "foreign laborers in Taiwan" on US Google , 3-26-2020, 1-30-2020
pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword "international laborers in Taiwan", 1-25-2020, 11-11-2019
pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword "international workers in Taiwan", 11-11-2019 |
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pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword |
pic.: The websites group was among top ranks on US Google by keyword |
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pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Google by keyword
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pic.: The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Bing by keyword
★★
pic. left: The websites group was ranked No.1 on Euro. MetaGER.de by keyword
"foreign laborers in Taiwan" ,
9-25-2019,
5-13-2019;
pic. right: The websites group was ranked No.1 on Yandex of Russia by keyword
"international workers in Taiwan" , 5-13-2019
★
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pic. left : The websites group was ranked No.1 on US Bing by keyword "foreign laborers in Taiwan" , 9-25-2019, 5-12-2019, 2-28-2019, 11-28-2018; pic. right: The websites group was ranked top 2 on ASK by keyword "international workers in Taiwan" , 9-26-2019, 5-13-2019 |
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Apple
Daily (蘋果日報), 2-28-2019
50 thousands of foreign laborers run
away and became illegal workers, for low
salary (30%), not getting along well
with their boss (27%), heavy work load,
environmental problems, and high agency
fees.
The number of
Indonesian labor : 268576 (run away 20418),
Vietnamese labor 223300(31642),
Philippines 154209 (1581), Thai 60764
(1932).
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pic. left: about 1/7 Vietnamese laborers, 1/12 Indonesian laborers run away and became illegal workers in Taiwan, mainly for getting illegal high pay. / Apple Daily, 2-28-2019
★ The site urges Taiwanese government should act strictly in accordance with the law (◆ run away illegal migrants ), and open the care-givers market for more countries so as to push them to compete with each other, and eliminate those ◆ foreign laborers with bad work attitude, illegal behavior, bad professional skills, etc. Certainly, get migrant workers escaped caught ! Many foreign laborers are potential criminals.
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★
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★ Green Peace, 5-2-2019: It remains our view that Taiwanese fisheries still have many serious problems, both environmental and social, and that the need for reform is clear and urgent.
★
Economic Daily, United Daily, 7-10-2019
According to gov. statistics in recent 3 years, about
one foreign laborer suffered
occupational injury in every single day,
one died every other day, 1065 disabled
in recent 3 years.
★
United
Daily, 7-15-2019, topic
Agriculture business hired more and more illegal
foreign laborers for being short of
legal workers, part of about 50000
"run-away" foreign laborers worked and
then moved from one place to another in
search of NTD120 hourly payments.
★ Lowy Institute & <the interpreter>, 5-2-2019: The Taiwan-flagged Wen Peng...allegedly killed one Filipino and one Indonesian. Six other foreign crew members were reportedly forced to jump into the sea and were never found.
★
★ UDN(聯合報), 11-10-2019: The number of Taiwan's migrants' (foreign laborers') babies who lack "hukou", official household registration is a controversy, government's statistics is just a tip of the iceberg, some media reported the number is more than 50000.
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Apple Daily (蘋果日報),
8-30-2019, headline news : KMT presidential candidate, Han Kuo-Yu, used
a sarcastic comment "chickens in " to mock or describe foreign laborers.
Taiwan has the phenomenon of
discrimination against foreign laborers
since before.
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★
★
★
United
Daily, 3-5-2019, head-page news, Apple
Daily (蘋果日報), 3-5-2019
Philippines
college
students became "slaves" in Taiwan,
Taiwan's university forced 52
Philippines
students to part-time work illegally,
the administration gave punishment to
the univ.
United Daily, 8-10-2019,
Control Yuan corrects Ministry of
Education for that foreign students of
many universities and colleges became
illegal sweat-shop workers which
seriously damage the image of Taiwan.
★ Apple Daily (蘋果日報), 3-8-2019
Taiwanese rising star politician 韓國瑜 clarified 'discriminating Philippines' controversy... ( " foreign labors became English teacher ?" "瑪麗亞怎變老師?")
★
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No.1 rankings by Chinese keywords on best search engines, ~ 2019
pic.
left:
The sites group was ranked
No.1 by Chinese keyword "comment foreign labor in Taiwan"
pic. :
The
sites group was ranked No.1 commenting "Foreign
laborers in Taiwan"
pic. :
The
sites group was ranked No.1 by "Foreign
laborers in Taiwan (評論台灣外勞)"
pic. :
The
sites group was ranked No.1 by "Foreign
laborers in Taiwan"
on Yahoo
search engine ,
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● 2018 USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices> ( released at 4.20.2018 ) : One of principal Taiwan's human rights problems was exploitation of foreign workers, including forced labor.
● 2017 USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices> ( released at 3.13.2017 ) : One of principal Taiwan's human rights problems was exploitation of foreign workers, including foreign crewmembers on long-haul fishing vessels and household caregivers.
● 2016
USA Country Reports on Human Rights
practices> ( released
at 4.13.2016 ) :
principal
human rights problems
were labor exploitation of migrant workers by
fishing companies, exploitation of domestic
workers by brokerage agencies, and official corruption.
● 2015
USA Country Reports on Human Rights
practices> ( released
at 6.26.2015 ) pointed out Taiwan's
principal human rights problems
includes labor exploitation of migrant
workers by fishing companies.
● 2014
USA Country Reports on Human Rights
practices> ( issued
2.27.2014 ) comments Taiwan still
suffers from the exploitation of migrant
workers and from corruption in high
places.
● 2013
<international human
rights review panel> visiting Taiwan
urged
improving rights for Taiwan's migrant
workers, indigenous people, women, gay,
etc.
● 2012 annual report by
<Amnesty International>
(London, UK) criticizes Migrant-workers
rights status in Taiwan.
●<2011
USA Country Reports on Human Rights
practices> ( issued
April
11, 2011 ) comments one of
Taiwanese major human rights problems is
: abuses of foreign/international laborers/workers,
Taiwan
government's foreign laborer policy and
systems exploit int'l workers' rights to
resist, hence, abuses of
international workers happened again and
again.
★
| ● Foreign laborers' crimes, violence ... click !! |
| ◎ |
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comments by international/local media : |
| ◎ |
★
Apple Daily (蘋果日報), 11-15-2018,
Focus (深度專題報導) :
The
number of "hidden rape (性侵黑數)" is huge,
estimate 1 case happens per 4 days,
foreign laborers endured for money sake;
Taiwan government is very behind on
maintaining human rights of foreign
laborers in Taiwan.
★
★
United
Daily News (聯合報) 8-12-2018,
headlines
Run-away foreign laborers have been
hiding in hospitals as care givers,
illegally, and suspectedly - low-quality
services (失聯移工竄入醫院
違法當看護 照顧品質堪虞)
★ RTI (中央廣播電台 Radio Taiwan International ) 12-26-2018,
Control Yuan at 8-9-2018 corrects Immigration Agency (gov.) for doing a bad job on investigating illegal agents and employers, and worsening run-away foreign laborers situation (行蹤不明外勞仍未呈下降趨勢；移民署對於非法雇主及非法仲介查察不力，或無法掌握確切事證).
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Taiwan's exploitation
pic.:
USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices:
ps: without government's or state machine's agreements, little agent-brokers dare to do this?
pic.: The US human
rights report: The salary that foreign laborers in Taiwan really
get in each month is
pic.: None to
mention "illegal
exploitation",
"legal
exploitation"
alone makes foreign laborers
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★
★
Apple Daily (蘋果日報), 12-19-2018,
special report : Taiwan was
involved in transnational human
trafficking (人口販運風暴)
Taiwan government failed to master the
hidden crewmembers ("幽靈漁工")
on long-haul fishing vessels，
the dark number is at least some
thousands ，Taiwanese
government was questioned being
failed to really guard and check the
human trafficking issue
，the head of Fisheries Admin.
expressed local government should do the
check, but, Kaohsiung city gov. said
they can not do anything about it
(brief)
★
Labor laws do not cover domestic workers,
leaving them vulnerable to labor exploitation. Forced labor occurred in such
sectors as domestic services, fishing, farming, manufacturing, and construction.
Foreign workers were most susceptible to forced labor, especially when serving
as crew members on Taiwan-flagged fishing vessels. Some labor brokers charged
foreign workers exorbitant recruitment fees and used debts incurred from these
fees in the source country as tools of coercion to subject the workers to debt
bondage
Household caregivers and domestic workers
are not protected under the law and are not covered by a mandated minimum wage,
overtime pay, limits on the workday or workweek, minimum breaks, or vacation
regulations. Brokerage agencies often require workers to take out loans for
“training” and other fees at local branches of Taiwan banks in their home
countries at high interest rates, leaving them vulnerable to debt bondage......
foreign workers often were unwilling to report employer abuses for fear the
employer would terminate the contract and deport them, leaving them unable to
reimburse debt accrued during the recruitment process.
●
★
Principal human rights problems were labor exploitation of migrant workers by fishing companies, exploitation of domestic workers by brokerage agencies, and official corruption. Migrant workers, including those from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand, were vulnerable to exploitation. NGOs asserted that foreign workers often were unwilling to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate the contract and deport them, leaving them unable to reimburse debt accrued to brokers or others.
●
Apple Daily News head-page (12-19-2016) : Shame of Taiwan, the kingdom of long-distance fishing - Taiwanese ocean-going vessels exploited 10 thousand foreign laborers every year. <The Reporter> (https://www.twreporter.org/a/far-sea-fishing-indonesia-fishermen-death) looks into the case an Indonesian imported fisherman worker was suspicious of being abused to death.
Shocks !! How many immigrant workers were abused !
The unspoken secret - In Taiwan, foreign caregivers are
everywhere, people can see them
★ <USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices> ( released at 6.26.2015 )
Taiwan's "principal human rights problems" includes "labor exploitation of migrant workers by fishing companies"... and it mentions foreign laborers' real wage is lower than the standard.
| US report2015◎ |
"Regulations require intensified inspection and oversight of foreign labor brokerage companies. NGOs reported that some labor brokers and employers regularly collected high fees or loan payments from foreign workers, using debts incurred in the source country as a tool for involuntary servitude. At the end of June, 517,187 documented migrants worked in Taiwan; of these, 222,571 were from Indonesia, 100,203 from the Philippines, 59,806 from Thailand, and 134,600 from Vietnam. At the end of May, a total of 43,772 undocumented foreigners were working in Taiwan, according to National Immigration Agency statistics. NGOs asserted that foreign workers often were unwilling to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate the contract and deport them, leaving them unable to pay back debt accrued to brokers or others. A June BBC report quoted migrant fisherman and NGOs describing exploitative conditions aboard Taiwan-owned fishing vessels. According to this report, in April a Cambodian court sentenced the manager of the Taiwan fishing company Giant Ocean and five associates to 10 years in prison and ordered them to pay compensation to 150 victims. On August 14, Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Kor Vandy affirmed the sentence and ordered the offenders to pay compensation to 180 victims. An employer may deduct only labor insurance fees, health insurance premiums, income taxes, and meal and lodging fees from the wages of a foreign worker. Violators face fines of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 ($1,940 to $9,700) and loss of hiring privileges. Critics, however, complained that violations continued and that the Ministry of Labor did not effectively enforce statutes and regulations intended to protect foreign laborers from unscrupulous brokers and employers. In addition to a Ministry of Labor-operated Foreign Worker Direct-Hire Service Center that allowed local employers to rehire their foreign employees, the ministry operated a direct-hire web platform to allow local employers to hire foreign workers online without having to go through a broker. NGOs, however, asserted that complicated procedures and restrictions on use of both the Service Center and the online service prevented widespread implementation, and they advocated lifting restrictions on transfers between employers. The maximum time foreign workers were allowed to stay in Taiwan was 12 years. The service center also permitted the direct rehiring of foreign workers engaged in manufacturing, fisheries, construction, and other industries."
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◎
★
<Heritage Foundation> & <WallStreet
Journal>,
02-02- 2016 （2016 Index of
Economic Freedom）
The score of Labor Freedom (53.8) is down in this year's report, The rigidity of the labor market and lingering corruption continue to hold back overall economic freedom...
★ <The Liberty Times>, Taiwan, 4.16.2015
Taipei city council (4.15.2015), a councilor/alderman(歐陽龍) : "Using foreign laborers in improper or illegal way has already been a reality in our society... everywhere in Taiwan".
◎
★
<The United Daily >, Taiwan, 12.14.2015
about 1000 foreign laborer demonstrators
in a parade demanded for no harms/injuries/wounded by each other and no exploitation of
both sides ― patients (the disabilities) and
laborers. Some laborers can't have one day off even they're wounded.
(brief)
<The China Times>, 12.14.2015
A Vietnamese laborer has not had one day off for 12 years.
◎
★
<United Daily News>, Taiwan, 1.12.2015
editorial column "the poison of hatred and revenge"
... During this global counterterrorism moment, we urge
Taiwanese should not maliciously treat Islam people particularly Indonesian
foreign laborers ...
◎
★ <USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, 2013> ( issued 2.27.2014 )
Foreign household caregivers and domestic workers in Taiwan are unable to enjoy the same rights enjoyed by their Taiwanese counterparts, including a minimum wage and/or overtime pay, limits on workdays and/or workweeks, break entitlements, as well as vacations.
◎
★ CNA, Taiwan, 11-23-2014
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla announced Friday a plan to freeze female labor exports in five years to protect Indonesian women.
... because ... many Indonesian women are forced to travel overseas to seek better prospects, but many end up victims of mental or physical abuse. (ps)
◎
★
March 1, 2013 <international human
rights review panel> visiting Taiwan.
The members of the review panel includes Philip Alston, law professor at New
York University; Eibe Riedel, former member of the United Nations Committee on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Jerome Cohen, law professor at New York
University; and Nisuke Ando, professor emeritus at Kyoto University.
The review panel urged improving rights for Taiwan's migrant workers, indigenous people, women, gay and transgender people, and people with disabilities.
◎
★ TOP TV , Taiwan (高點電視), Oct. 13/14, 2012
A TV informal discussion meeting/a symposium/a forum ( participants including Taipei City Council's councilor namely 林瑞圖 , government official, famous people, etc) mentioned:
1) The number of runaway(escaped) foreign workers and home-care maids in Taiwan is up to 30000~40000, Vietnamese ranked 1st, Indonesian 2nd, many workers're ripped off by high-position officials/people in power, e.g., city mayor, County Magistrate, city/county councilors, legislators( sort like senators/congressmen in the US), and so on.
◎
★
Aug. 13, 2013,
<the Liberty Times>, <the China Times>, <華視>,
<Youtube>, etc
Taiwan's legislators questioned that
Taiwanese government together with
Philippines government help the agency to exploit
migrant workers ― Filipinos
workers were forced
to sign some unnecessary document ( promissory notes for
overcharged agent-fee) so that the agency can request the court to (enforce)
deduct laborer's salary, hence some workers even can't have enough food and
clothing.
◎
★ 2012 <Amnesty International>, London, UK, annual report The State of the World's Human Rights 2012, May 24, 2012
Migrant workers were unable to freely change employer. Domestic migrant workers and care-givers were often forced to work without adequate rest. The media exposed abuse and exploitation of migrant workers by government officials and celebrities.
◎
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No. 1 on US google by keyword "international workers in Taiwan" , 2-12-2018, 1.1.2017, 10-30-2017;
"foreign
laborers in Taiwan" ranks No.1 on Google,
This page ranking No.1 on English google by the keyword "international
workers in Taiwan", ◎
◎
No.1 on Yahoo by keyword "Taiwan foreign laborer" at July 7, 2014
◎
No.1 on Yahoo by keyword "international workers in Taiwan" ◎
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★ 2011 human rights report <USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices> USA , issued April 8, 2011
There were still problems with corruption, violence and discrimination against women and children, as well as human trafficking, abuses of foreign workers.
◎
★ <Amnesty International>, London, UK, annual report The State of the World's Human Rights 2011, May 13, 2011
Taiwan was criticized over issues to
do with the death
penalty, freedom of expression,
justice and migrants' rights (It also voiced concerns over the slow progress to enact a judges' act to
address corruption scandals involving high court judges and
over the working
conditions of migrant workers.).
◎
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★ <Liberty Times> Taiwan, Sept. 17, 2012
Many foreign workers and group from Indonesia,
Philippines protest for a red line set up in central hall, Taipei main station,
they think it's a discrimination against them for stopping their gathering in
such a convenient location. A researcher said the protest also tried
to highlight foreign workers' long vacation, leisure issues, etc.
◎
★ <Taipei Times> Taiwan, Dec. 10, 2010
Illegal
laborer brokers set to get tougher penalties .... Council statistics show
about 34000 runaway foreign workers in Taiwan ... Sept. 6 deaths of 6 runaway
foreign workers, ... illegally employed ... on the No. 6 freeway.
<Taiwan Post> : ...the
government believes brokers must take major responsibility for the problem of
runaways ...
◎
★ <China Times> Taiwan, Oct. 2, 2010
Without
being treated as human beings, 35,000 foreign
workers run away.
(
total number of foreign laborer/workers: 372,146, Taiwan's population :
23,000,000 or so)
Sometimes international workers
earn less than NT3000 (US$ 90) per month.
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★ BBC website, the Straits Times (Singapore), Associated Press, AFP, ABS-CBN TV (Philippines),
India Times, and DailyMail of UK,
the Jakarta Post (May 14, 2010),
etc.
A Taiwanese Co. employer forced three Muslim Indonesian women to eat pork (this violates Muslim religion) over a seven-month period.
Indonesian government condemns such action ( forcing foreign-laborer/workers to consume pork) as it was against appropriate values, calling upon the Taiwanese government to pay “serious attention” to the case.
ps: <United daily News> May 13, 2010 reported a Taiwanese int'l labor union leader said that those workers accused salary problems, instead of having pork.
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★ <三立新聞> TV morning news，
7:45am ， 9/15/2012
'Indonesian worker accused amid tears for being abused - foreign home care workers became "Roustabout" '「Chinese caption: 看護工變打雜工、 印勞泣訴遭虐」
A steak shop illegally used Indonesian worker, from 6 am early morning till 12 am late night, and the boss gave expired medicine to the foreign worker ......
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★ USA Country Reports on Human Rights practices, issued Mar 11, 2010
Human Rights Reports : Taiwan
NGOs reported that laborer brokers and employers regularly collected high fees or loan payments from foreign workers, frequently using debt as a tool for involuntary servitude, and that foreign workers were unwilling to report employer abuses for fear the employer would terminate the contract and forcibly deport them, leaving them unable to pay back debt accrued to brokers or others.
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★ WikiPedia Human trafficking in Taiwan Sept. 2010
◎ Many foreign workers remain vulnerable to trafficking because legal protections, oversight by authorities and enforcement efforts are inadequate.
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News stories regarding foreign laborer in main stream media almost are negative ― int'l workers run away, rob, steal ...... so as to strengthen Taiwanese prejudices and fears to foreign workers, therefore, Taiwanese people prefer to keep a safe distance with foreign laborer/workers.
All above are the tip of a big iceberg .....
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★ <United daily News> Taiwan, May 13, 2010
Taiwan nice to white people, but despises int'l laborer
Taiwan's laborer system led to lots of abuses of international workers.
Taiwan is very friendly to or even has brown nose (toady to, flatter) to white people, but looks down upon color people, ....... Taiwanese often feel they faced discrimination while overseas, but Taiwanese also treat in similar way to other little countries' people .....
The "PM" of Taiwan stated foreign laborer/workers don't have basic/min wage ― they have at most NT8000 - 9000 per month. 【written by 陳文哲】
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★ Several illegal foreign laborer/workers died in an accident ― sprawling network of scaffolding collapsed on a construction site of the national freeway in Taiwan.
◎ <Taipei Times> Oct. 3, 2010
While about ...... more than 30,000 people (ps: escaped/undocumented foreign workers) still unaccounted for, official tallies show.
According to figures from the council’s Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, ...... the 372,146 migrant workers in Taiwan at that time.
◎ <CTS> Taiwan, evening news Oct. 1, 2010 7:10pm
"Police failed to find those illegal foreign workers dying in a national freeway accident (a headline news in Taiwan), we can see how serious Taiwan's int'l laborer problem is."(English interpretation)
◎ <CTV> Taiwan, evening news Oct. 1, 2010 7:28pm
The number of runaway illegal international workers in Taiwan is around 33,000 (ps Apple Daily: 33510, China times: 35000)
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★ <TVBS> of Hong Kong in Taiwan, Oct. 7, 2010 6:55 pm evening news
Female foreign workers feel uncomfortable, for dormitory video camera near wash-room taking pictures on them (some persons pass some pictures within group).
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★ <Apple Daily News> Taiwan Oct. 20, 2009
5 Vietnamese workers (age 20+ yrs old) cried for being "slaves" in Taiwan ― working 16 hours per day, each taking care 10+ old men, being forced to do medical treatment/actions (i.e., pulls out the phlegm) , with salary only NT 2000 (about US$ 65), besides, their boss often threatened them that the employer would terminate their contracts and forcibly deport them, and locked them together with old men inside the house without freedom ....
Some foreign worker was wounded by
cat paws bad-guys after a County Representative concerned this
issue. ( now already a courthouse case )
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According to UN's statistics, int'l Human trafficking relates at
least 4 million people, with money value US$ 7000 - 10000 million, and
has grown
with high speed each year.
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A police "wrestled & touched down" and straddled a female international workers, that is questioned as an over-reaction law enforcement.
Today about 70-80 furious international workers on protest at front of the <Chung-Cheng> police station declared that Taiwanese police discriminated and didn't treat South-eastern Asian workers as human beings, and asked police to apology in public.
They also expressed that Taiwanese police like to interrogate and examine them in the street, instead, treat white people in totally different way.
★ <Apple Daily News> Taiwan, May 14, 2010
Is Taiwan still a civilized society ? int'l workers' residence place ― like "prison/concentration camp".
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★ KMT political Party official website, Sept 25, 2010
Who did
this?！ exploit foreign workers' human rights, and don't care Taiwanese
workers' survival？
A riot protest by Thailand
workers in Aug.'05 shocks Taiwan by its dark sides behind
foreign-laborer exploitative systems.
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★ <United daily News> Taiwan, Sept. 6, 2009
A Taiwanese high ranking official sexual assaulted a girl foreign worker in office building.
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ps: Certainly there're good and bad int'l workers, besides, part of the laborer system bad for Taiwanese needs improvements too, i.e., a very old man may live alone for a long queue (time) for a new worker ― because the previous worker escaped for certain reason not employer's fault. Taiwan's Apple Daily News (Sept. 15, 2012) reported a foreign worker went for happy shopping and left very old person ( she should take care of ) alone in the street. My personal experience ... an irresponsible foreign laborer from Indonesia!
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ps: abstract from major media article & reports |
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| ● Foreign workers' crimes, violence on the disability ... click ! | |
| ★ For precise meanings pls. refer to Chinese language version article ... |
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