International experts this week gathered in Taiwan to share insights and bolster cooperation on combating human trafficking, the Ministry of the Interior’s National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday.
Officials, academics, experts and representatives from civil organizations from the US, South Korea, the UK, Belgium, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam participated in the International Workshop on Strategies for Combating Human Trafficking in Taipei on Wednesday and Thursday, the NIA said.
Officials who have been paying attention to related issues, such as Control Yuan member Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) and members of the Cabinet’s Coordination Board on Prevention of Human Trafficking and Elimination of Racial Discrimination, served as moderators at discussions, NIA Director Chung Ching-kun (鐘景琨) said.
Photo courtesy of the National Immigration Agency
The discussions focused on the challenges posed by emerging forms and trends of human trafficking in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, the agency said.
The participants also exchanged ideas on strategies to prevent human trafficking, especially for vulnerable groups and foreign students, it added.
Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice senior research fellow An Sung-hoon talked about South Korea’s latest human trafficking crime prevention plan, which aims to prevent it by building social consensus, providing individualized assistance to victims and reinforcing early detection mechanisms, the agency said.
A senior official of the Indonesian Ministry of Labor said that Indonesia established a human trafficking task force to bolster the prevention and investigation of criminal cases, and implemented an inspection mechanism to protect its overseas workers.
Royal Holloway College, University of London law and criminology lecturer Mohammad Sabuj said that if a diplomat exploits a domestic worker while stationed abroad, they should not be protected by diplomatic immunity.
An amendment to the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法), which was announced in June, increases penalties and provides better care and protection for victims, Deputy Minister of the Interior Wu Jung-hui (吳容輝) said.
The ministry is drawing up supporting regulations for the amended legislation to be implemented next year, he added.
In addition, the ministry is to integrate resources from government agencies and civil organizations, as well as bolstering connections between domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations to promote effective strategies for human trafficking prevention, he said.
The UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children states that effective prevention of human trafficking “requires a comprehensive international approach in the countries of origin, transit and destination,” the NIA said.
Taiwan intends to continue holding the international workshop as an effort to maintain substantial and close cooperative relations with more countries, working together in the fight against human trafficking, the agency said.
Additional reporting by Wang Kuan-jen
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
A small-scale protest that called on the government to cancel its plan to welcome Indian migrant workers in a bid to tackle Taiwan’s labor shortage was held in Taipei yesterday. During the protest, comprised of a few dozen people staged in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, the protest’s chief initiator, a woman identified only as “Yuna” said they wanted the central government to reconsider allowing migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan. Most people in Taiwan had little knowledge about the potential plan to allow in Indian migrant workers until a report in the media last month, she
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
RSS