Taiwan legalized the entry of migrant workers from Southeast Asia in 1992. Migrant workers are seen as an economic short-term presence that brings material benefits to the nation, but also a degree of conflict.
Their presence in Taiwan has brought more productivity in the labor market, contributed to cultural diversity and reduced the stress of many families needing to organize care for elderly members at home.
However, it has not all been good news. Migrant workers have also been subject to unreasonable demands within the system, such as paying high agency fees, not being allowed to freely change employers and having different pay compared with Taiwanese workers doing the same job. At the same time, they have been blamed for stealing jobs from local workers and contributing to declining labor conditions.
As the economy developed, the number of migrant workers increased, and with it discrimination and misunderstanding. This has led to their alienation, both from their own, but also from the perspective of the local population.
Most Taiwanese are unfamiliar with their religion and culture, the way they dress and their dietary habits, and often view them differently based upon their appearance and country of origin. It is common for migrant workers to be mistreated or at least be given unequal treatment, especially when compared with visitors from Western countries or people with white skin, whose festivals Taiwanese often celebrate and whose languages Taiwanese learn.
Migrants say that having the freedom to change jobs is a basic right; employers’ groups fear that if migrant workers are contractually free to change jobs that there will be no one to care for the severely disabled.
Prospective employers are unfamiliar with applications and follow-up services for migrant workers, or lack the time to do these things themselves, and so often outsource these processes to agencies. These agencies are formed by market supply and demand. Many migrant workers are obliged to take out loans to pay the high agency fees before coming to Taiwan, and in many countries, local agents or organizations dock workers’ wages unreasonably and then send them to Taiwan, where local agents also dock their wages as an agent’s fee or as a deposit.
The vast majority of the information Taiwanese receive about migrant workers’ situation comes from the media, via the news, the Internet, Twitter, Facebook and other social media. Mass media has gradually come to have an all-pervasive influence on opinion and set the parameters for debate. In media psychology, the influence of mass media on the actions, behavior and opinions of individuals and audiences is referred to as mass media influence, and its effect can be negative or positive.
Media psychology uses different perspectives of psychology to explore human interaction with technology in spite of worries about the negative effects of technology on society. As can be seen in recent years, online bullying and sensationalist news is ubiquitous. The power of mass media can make a person or event receive a good response, but also give the audience a negative impression of the subject.
The perspectives of migrant workers are underrepresented in the media, and when reports do appear they are focused on crime and controversial issues. News stories are reconstructions of a part of an actual phenomenon. Different frames influence people’s perceptions of an event or issue. It has also been found that the public is largely unfamiliar with migrants’ salary issues. From controversial to civil issues, public opinion tends to have a negative impression of migrant workers.
However, the majority of Taiwanese agree that the cultural diversity that migrant workers bring is positive.
The most common problems encountered by migrant workers are being labeled, ignored, stereotyped or receiving unfriendly treatment. The parameters of the debate set by the media can limit what readers understand. For this reason, it is important for readers to seek facts outside of these media-defined parameters. The news media are not the only platform that influences Taiwanese’s attitude toward migrant workers. Although there are many other variables that affect the public, the news media are the fastest way to understand them.
Society can approach migrant workers from different perspectives and think beyond the frame to see the facts outside it. If people can treat others kindly, they can receive feedback, and the whole society could be improved, starting with the individual. After the label of “migrant worker” has been removed, Taiwanese would see that these individuals are no different from them.
If people can create a more welcoming environment, more migrant workers might want to come to Taiwan. Migrant workers are part of Taiwan’s productivity and cultural diversity; they are essential for the nation. While making Taiwan’s economic and social structure better, improving these perceptions would lead to better integration between migrant workers and Taiwanese.
Hsu Hsin-yu is a student from the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
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