The US Department of State has expressed concern that many domestic workers in Taiwan are not able to attend religious services.
The 2020 International Religious Freedom Report, released on Wednesday, said that domestic workers and caregivers in Taiwan are not covered under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) and are therefore not legally guaranteed a rest day per week.
“Due to this exclusion, many domestic workers continue to be unable to attend religious services,” the report said.
It said the problem was particularly salient among Taiwan’s 253,000 foreign caregivers and household workers, predominantly Muslims from Indonesia and Christians from the Philippines, who want to attend weekly religious services.
In most cases, it is labor brokers rather than employers who prohibit foreign domestic workers from attending religious services, the report said, citing Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom Pusin Tali.
Tali suggested that this problem might be ameliorated if workers used brokerage services provided by Taiwanese authorities, and not those from the private sector, the report said.
Migrant workers and some advocacy groups have been calling on the government to enact a law to fill in the gaps in domestic workers’ welfare protection under current labor laws.
However, the bill has been shelved in the legislature since 2004, when it was first proposed by labor welfare groups.
With regards to the government’s efforts to build a Muslim-friendly environment, Taiwanese authorities have continued to expand accommodation for Muslims, including building new prayer rooms in public places, such as railway stations, libraries and tourist destinations, the report said.
Although many local authorities have canceled public Eid al-Fitr celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taipei City Government still hosted a virtual concert this month to commemorate the holiday, it said.
In addition, the Taipei Beitou Health Management Hospital in August 2019 became the second halal-certified medical facility in Taiwan with accommodation for Muslims, such as halal showers, meals and prayer rooms, the report said.
On the status of societal respect for religious freedom, the report said that Beijing had infiltrated local temples throughout Taiwan with assistance from local collaborators, with the aim of using temples as a vehicle to interfere in local elections, the report said.
Religious leaders called for legislation to better regulate temple registration and to require religious organizations to disclose their financial statements to stop such infiltrations, the report said.
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