The number of complaints or petitions filed by foreign laborers with the Tainan County Government's management center has doubled over the past year, a local official said yesterday.
The county government opened a foreign laborer management center at the end of 2000, receiving 62 petitions from foreign workers in the county in 2001. The number of petitions increased to 125 for last year.
Most of the complaints were related to manpower agents' broker fees or overtime pay disputes, the official said, adding that complaints about violence and sexual harassment were relatively few in number.
The center also discovered 19 cases involving the illegal hiring of foreign workers in 2001 and 33 similar cases last year.
The center said receiving petitions and inspecting employment procedures for foreign workers are expected to help improve the nation's labor market system.
Meanwhile, the county government's domestic violence and sex crime prevention center said 1,193 domestic violence cases were reported in the county last year. Among the victims in these cases, 1,075 were female and 118 were men. Fourteen victims were granted emergency shelter and 31 were given temporary protection.
The center didn't compile the number of foreign brides who fell victim to domestic violence. But with the center stepping up a publicity campaign, the number of domestic violence cases reported involving foreign brides has been rising steadily, a staff member said.
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