The US Department of State on Thursday released its Trafficking in Persons Report for this year, placing Taiwan in the highest rank for the 11th consecutive year, but again advising that the nation improve efforts to stop exploitation of migrant workers.
The annual report ranks more than 180 countries in four tiers of anti-trafficking performance, with tier 1 being the best, followed by tier 2, tier 2 watch list and tier 3.
The report said that there were “significant challenges” that remained unaddressed in Taiwan and reiterated recommendations for improvement.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuen, Taipei Times
“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),” the report said.
“Thousands of migrant domestic caregivers remained at higher risk of exploitation in the absence of specific legislation ensuring their labor rights,” it said.
Taiwan is advised to increase inspections and, where appropriate, prosecute the senior crew and owners of Taiwan-owned and flagged fishing vessels suspected of forced labor in the DWF, including vessels stopping in special foreign docking zones, the report said.
It also recommended that Taiwan train maritime inspection authorities on victim identification, referral and law enforcement notification procedures; formally include civil society input into the labor broker evaluation process; and amend policies and legislative loopholes to eliminate the imposition of recruitment and service fees, and deposits on workers.
“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,” the report said.
“Many trafficking victims are migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and, to a lesser extent, individuals from China, Cambodia and Sri Lanka,” it said.
Taiwan is home to more than 700,000 foreign workers, with some incurring substantial debt to pay brokers’ high recruitment fees and deposits, while many earn significantly less than the minimum wage, it said.
“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,” it said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday said that Taiwan has been listed in the report’s tier 1 for 11 consecutive years, proving the effectiveness of the nation’s anti-trafficking efforts.
The ministry would continue to work with agencies and civic groups, while partnering with the US based on the two sides’ memorandum of understanding for exchanging and disseminating information to combat human trafficking, she said.
Taiwan was one of 34 nations in tier 1, along with the Czech Republic, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, the UK and the US, the report said.
China was one of 19 nations in tier 3, which also includes Myanmar, North Korea and Nicaragua, it said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
GRAFT PROBE: Critics questioned Ko claiming he did not know about the Core Pacific floor area ratio issue until this year, citing a 2021 video in which he was asked about it Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released without bail early yesterday, while his deputy during his tenure as Taipei mayor was detained and held incommunicado after being questioned since Friday over graft allegations related to a shopping center redevelopment project. Prosecutors on Saturday filed a request with the Taipei District Court to officially detain Ko and former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) over allegations surrounding the redevelopment of Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心). The court yesterday determined that the evidence provided by prosecutors was insufficient to justify the detention of Ko and ordered his
RSS