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Lawmaker urges action on trafficking issue

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) yesterday urged the Executive Yuan to pay more attention to the growing problem of human trafficking, which she said was not addressed by the Cabinet's recent draft amendment of the Immigration Law (入出國及移民法).

Speaking during a public hearing at the legislature yesterday concerning the ongoing amendments to the Immigration Law, Hsiao said that a review by the US State Department had revealed Taiwan's efforts to eliminate human trafficking were currently "unsatisfactory."

Currently there are three versions of the amendments being reviewed by the Legislature, including the Cabinet's version, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chung-hsiung's (徐中雄) version and Hsiao's version.

Only Hsiao's version of the amendment deals with the issue of human trafficking.

Hsiao said that human trafficking is a growing threat to human security and a boom industry in organized crime circles. She urged the Cabinet to pay attention to this growing problem, an issue that was neglected in the Cabinet's recent version of amendments to the Immigration Law.

"Various studies have indicated the scale of human trafficking in Taiwan is expanding and that Taiwan has become an important hub in international human trafficking," she said.

"And yet our government hasn't so far passed a specific law to deal with the threat posed by this crime and therefore there isn't a government agency dedicated to combating human trafficking," Hsiao said.

The lawmaker yesterday proposed her version of the amendment bill as it would ensure measures aimed at preventing human trafficking are added to the ongoing revisions of the law.

"We are aiming to provide security and assistance to foreign victims of human trafficking, which includes humanitarian assistance and the personal protection victims would need during their stay in Taiwan," Hsiao said.

Ho Sen-kuei (何森桂), an official from the Immigration Office, said yesterday that so far the government only has laws that offer shelter for Chinese citizens or people without any nationality. The new amendments of the law would expand the scope of protection to include shelter for other nationals.

A professor from the National Police University, Hsieh Li-kung (謝立功), yesterday suggested that strengthening the interview mechanisms for immigration applications would help.

Hsieh said that currently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only conducts interviews with immigrants upon their arrival in the country, which is insufficient. He suggested the government arrange pre-arrival interviews in a bid to reduce the number of false marriages, which is presently the most commonly-used method for getting Chinese females into the country.
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