Lawmakers and children’s rights advocates yesterday called for greater protection of young workers following the alleged abuse of a 17-year-old by his employer.
The boy and his coworker, surnamed Lin (林), 21, were allegedly beaten, subjected to electric shocks and shot with an airgun by their employer — a man surnamed Chan (詹) — sustaining multiple injuries, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Wednesday last week.
Chan allegedly held the boy, who was not named, and Lin in captivity for three months and took their mobile phones, CNA said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Lin escaped on April 10, after which the other boy was also rescued, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) has reported.
Chan, 24, and two other suspects have been taken into custody, the newspaper said.
The 17-year-old had found the job through a human resources agency after leaving school, the Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare said.
In 2018, another worker younger than 16 who had dropped out of school was allegedly beaten to death by coworkers in Taoyuan, the alliance said.
At a news conference in Taipei, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) raised doubts over the legality of the agent who connected the 17-year-old with the employer, and questioned why job-seeking channels, such as the government’s Employment Services Stations, had failed to serve their function.
The two cases were likely not isolated incidents, New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said.
Youth in the workplace could face improper treatment ranging from pay deductions and requests to work overtime, to bullying or physical harm, she said.
More than 3,000 people have dropped out of junior high school, Wang said, citing Ministry of Education statistics, adding that they might enter the workforce due to financial reasons or a lack of interest in school.
As the government offers job training and job search services to adults, it should also be more proactive about helping students who drop out of school look for jobs, she said, adding that this way they would be less likely to encounter bad employers.
People aged 17 to 18 who have dropped out of school or are in night school are unlikely to turn to government agencies, such as the Employment Services Stations, for help, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said.
More often than not, they search for jobs through peers, she said, adding that within this jobseeking pattern, non-governmental organizations could intervene and offer them protection.
Liu Yueh-se (劉約瑟), a representative from the Ministry of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, told the news conference that the labor, education and health ministries have drafted a strategy to protect minors in the workplace, which would include stepping up labor inspections, hosting educational training, improving awareness and bolstering inter-agency coordination.
The labor ministry is to hold a meeting on May 26 to discuss the formation of an inter-agency committee on youth workplace safety, Liu said, adding that experts on youth rights, and health and safety would be invited.
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
RSS