Torture in [Taiwan] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Taiwan Street Children in [Taiwan] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Taiwan] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the early years of the 21st Century gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Taiwan.htm
Taiwan is primarily a destination for men,
women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and
commercial sexual exploitation. To a far lesser extent, it is a source of
women trafficked to Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United
States for sexual exploitation and forced labor, as well as a transit area
for People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizens seeking to enter the United
States illegally, some of whom may become victims of debt bondage and forced
prostitution. Most trafficking victims are workers from rural areas of
Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, employed through
recruitment agencies and brokers to perform low-skilled work in Taiwan’s
construction, fishing, and manufacturing industries, or to work as domestic
workers. NGOs continued to report an
increase in the number of boys rescued from prostitution, mainly discovered
during police investigations of online social networking sites suspected of
fronting for prostitution rings. - U.S.
State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] |
|
||
|
CAUTION: The following
links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Editorial: The human cost of cheap labor www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/07/08/2003368658/1 [accessed 28 December 2010] The trafficking
scene in Many foreigners
take up legal employment, but leave their jobs for various reasons, including
mistreatment by employers who ignore contracts and labor rights, the promise
of earning better wages, and trickery by criminal rings. As a result, many foreign workers end up in
deplorable and inhuman working conditions, of which forced prostitution is
perhaps the most widely known and condemned. But it would be
unfair to discuss trafficking without mentioning the disturbing context that
allows it to flourish. The tragic reality of poverty abroad, combined with
the vast market here for cheap labor and prostitution, is what drives human
trafficking. Each and everyone in a privileged land who for his or her own
comfort and economic benefit takes advantage of cheap labor at the cost of
human rights, contributes to the victimization of workers not protected by
the same rights we take for granted. Deutsche Presse-Agentur
(German Press Agency) DPA, [accessed 28 December 2010] According to
police, the ring arranged for the Indonesian women to come to Luciana, one of the
victims, said she did not know it was a trick because she had a bona fide
wedding with her Taiwanese husband in The Plight Of Vietnamese Women Nguoi Viet ,
Commentary, New news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=645a2f7fb0e2cede54e7d5eb73925ac6 [accessed 28 August 2011] There are, at
present, around 200,000 Vietnamese women in ***
ARCHIVES *** Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006 www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61606.htm [accessed 28 December 2010] TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS
– NGOs reported that fraudulent marriages were
increasingly used as a vehicle for human trafficking, in part because the
penalties for the fake husbands were lenient. Foreign brides, mainly from the
PRC, but also increasing numbers of women from Labor
trafficking was a problem. NGOs reported that families hired female foreign workers
to care for elderly persons (for which the government provides subsidies to
families) but that when the workers arrived they were forced to do other
tasks, including: childcare, working in family shops or businesses, cleaning
houses, and helping other family members with domestic work. In other cases,
foreign laborers were hired overseas as domestic workers but then sent to
work in factories when they arrived and paid only a fraction of the local
prevailing wage. Penalties for such violations were light. In one case, an
inspector discovered a domestic caretaker was working in the employer's flour
factory. The inspector returned the foreign worker to the employer's family
and fined the employer $1 thousand (NT$30 thousand). The employer was allowed
to continue using the foreign worker as a housekeeper. Labor authorities
remove an employer's right to hire domestic caretakers only after a third
offense. Officials crack down on human trafficking
ring Staff writer, with Central News Agency CNA,
Taipei Times, 10 Oct 2008 www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/10/10/2003425457 [accessed 28 December 2010] The National
Immigration Agency (NIA) recently cracked down on a Taiwanese human
trafficking ring that was smuggling children from In its
investigation, the agency discovered that the crime ring had bought the
identity of Taiwanese children from parents who were in financial difficulty. The parents sold
their children’s IDs for NT$90,000 each, the agency said. The investigators had discovered that the
crime ring employed the strategy seven times in the first half of this year,
smuggling 18 children to the Human trafficking still a problem in Taiwan Staff writer, with Central News Agency CNA,
Taipei Times, www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/03/13/2003405274 [accessed 28 December 2010] On human
trafficking, On abuse of foreign
workers, brokers and employers regularly impose high brokerage fees and other
charges on foreign workers, frequently using the debt as a tool for
involuntary servitude, the report said. Victims to get job skills training Loa Iok-sin, www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/12/08/2003391627 [accessed 28 December 2010] Zhang cited a case
she had worked on recently as an example.
"Six Vietnamese women came to Tonya Graham, Gender Links Opinion and
Commentary Service, 29 November 2007 www.genderlinks.org.za/article/human-trafficking-concern-for-2010-2007-11-29 [accessed 28 December 2010] Human trafficking
is a pervasive global problem, and strong laws are vital to preventing and
prosecuting it, as well as caring for survivors. Take the case of Mary Jiang*
who left her home in Bill to combat human trafficking Staff writer, with Central News Agency CNA,
Taipei Times, 22 Jul 2007 www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/07/22/2003370735 [accessed 28 December 2010] NEW APPROACH - To stop the sale
of human beings, academics said that criminal law is important but not
enough. Rescuing victims must also be part of the plan. Holiday project focuses on sex crimes, trafficking Loa Iok-sin, www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/07/12/2003369175 [accessed 28 December 2010] Sun, who is one of
these prosecutors, spoke about two cases that she has worked on. In one case, a young woman from Editorial: The human cost of cheap labor www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/07/08/2003368658/1 [accessed 28 December 2010] The trafficking
scene in Many foreigners
take up legal employment, but leave their jobs for various reasons, including
mistreatment by employers who ignore contracts and labor rights, the promise
of earning better wages, and trickery by criminal rings. As a result, many foreign workers end up in
deplorable and inhuman working conditions, of which forced prostitution is
perhaps the most widely known and condemned. But it would be
unfair to discuss trafficking without mentioning the disturbing context that
allows it to flourish. The tragic reality of poverty abroad, combined with
the vast market here for cheap labor and prostitution, is what drives human
trafficking. Each and everyone in a privileged land who for his or her own
comfort and economic benefit takes advantage of cheap labor at the cost of
human rights, contributes to the victimization of workers not protected by
the same rights we take for granted. Human trafficking likely to worsen, experts
claim Max Hirsch, www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/04/13/2003356410/1 [accessed 28 December 2010] But the charities
helping exploited foreign laborers and prostitutes say that treating
trafficked foreigners with care is exactly what Le My-nga, policy and planning director at the Vietnamese
Migrant Workers and Brides Office in "They're still
in damage control mode," she said, referring to the attitude of
immigration officials since 2005, when the Trafficking victims detained for protection The www.chinapost.com.tw/news/archives/taiwan/2007324/105390.htm [accessed 28 December 2010] Police rescued 35
Indonesian girls, who were arranged by the human smuggling ring to work in
small restaurants and as caregivers for families who could not hire legal
foreign caregivers. The girls said
that they had to work 18 hours a day with no days off, and said that they
were beaten when they did not obey orders from the ring leaders. Group urges aid for trafficking victims Loa Iok-sin, www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/03/02/2003350636 [accessed 28 December 2010] Some labor
trafficking victims enter Public awareness of rise in human
trafficking is low Loa Iok-sin, www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/01/23/2003345956 [accessed 28 December 2010] Human-rights
activist Reverend Peter Nguyen Van Hung, a 48-year-old priest, told the
stories of some of the victims that he had worked with. There was the case
of a 19-year-old Vietnamese man who signed a contract to work in Tai-wan as a
caretaker and promised to pay US$5,000 to the broker. After arriving in Another girl
approached Nguyen once, telling him that her employer had raped her
repeatedly. When Nguyen offered her
help, she turned it down because she was afraid of retaliation from her
employer. "She went back, knowing
she would be raped again that night," Nguyen said. Nguyen has run a
human trafficking victim shelter in Deutsche Presse-Agentur
(German Press Agency) DPA, [accessed 28 December 2010] According to
police, the ring arranged for the Indonesian women to come to Luciana, one of the
victims, said she did not know it was a trick because she had a bona fide
wedding with her Taiwanese husband in Editorial by Sandy Yeh,
President of the www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2006/11/26/2003337971/1 [accessed 28 December 2010] Police in Taoyuan recently announced they had busted a smuggling
ring run by a former national taekwondo athlete who had brought young women
into Some victims are
forced to become sex workers without receiving any compensation. Instead they
must deal with strict supervision and the threat of violence. Foreign
laborers are conscripted into long-term commitments, swapped between
employers without warning, never receive any pay and are always at risk of
being turned into sex workers At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 12 September 2011] For example,
the number of women from Southeast Asian, especially Vietnam and Cambodia,
who are brought to Taiwan as "brides" but rapidly forced into
prostitution shortly after "marriage" has surged sharply in the
past two years. In addition, many
women from the PRC are smuggled into Stopping an 'Epidemic' -- Vietnamese Priest
Reaches Out to Sex Trafficking Victims Pacific News Service, by the
Rev. Nguyen Van Hung, as told to Andrew Lam, Posted: Aug 02, 2005 news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=2d5ce7724e7cbe84db0c10e07c85f3a4 [accessed 26 August 2011] NGOs key players in stamping out
trafficking At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 12 September 2011] Taiwan has the dubious distinction of being a major importer of
women for sexual exploitation, with a recently released report by the U.S.
Department of State downgrading Taiwan from "tier one" to
"tier two," signaling that the island has not even met the lowest
requirements for protecting victims of trafficking. The Plight Of Vietnamese Women Nguoi Viet ,
Commentary, New news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=645a2f7fb0e2cede54e7d5eb73925ac6 [accessed 28 August 2011] There are, at
present, around 200,000 Vietnamese women in Freedom House
Country Report - Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free 2009 Edition www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2009/taiwan [accessed 28 June 2012] Hui-Jung Chi, 2005
Taipei, Taiwan Kellogg’s Child Development Honoree World of Children Awards - Setting the Gold
Standard in Child Advocacy www.worldofchildren.org/index.php/honorees/honoree-journals-from-the-field/59-hui-jung-chi [accessed 28 December 2010] For the past 13
years, former journalist Hui-Jung Chi has played a
tremendous role at the forefront of social reform and child advocacy in Online auctions the new frontier for human
trafficking Radio www.ncvaonline.org/D_1-5_2-113_4-186_15-2_5-15_6-1_17-67_14-2/ [accessed 28 August 2011] It's been billed as
the world's biggest marketplace...eBay, where if you're on-line, all you need
is a credit-card and you can buy almost anything. But there are questions now
about the merits of trading this way....after eBay was forced to halt an
auction and pull details from its site, when it emerged that the goods for
sale were in fact alive and human. Rights Group Sues
E-Bay, Taipei Chef over Vietnamese Women Radio Free At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 12 September 2011] A In The Press -- Crime/Organized Crime Agence At one time this article had been archived
and may possibly still be accessible [here]
[accessed 12 September 2011] [scroll down to
AUGUST 27, 2004 - TAIWAN CAPTAIN GETS DEATH SENTENCE FOR PUSHING CHINESE
WOMEN OFF BOAT
- Taiwan's supreme court upheld a death sentence for Wang Chung-hsiung, the boat captain convicted of drowning six mainland
Chinese women. Wang and Ko Ching-sung, a crew member, pushed the women into the sea
in August 2003 when their smuggling boat was spotted by a Potential for Trafficking by Marriage
Brokers Called Serious www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2004/July/200407141701572XRnuS0.088772.html [accessed 28 December 2010] CORRUPTION AS A
CONTRIBUTING FACTOR
- NGOs and other sources provide anecdotal evidence of this connection.
Recent reports reveal trafficking of women from Precursors and pathways to adolescent
prostitution in Taiwan Shu-Ling Hwang & Olwen Bedford, Journal of Sex Research, Vol 40, No 2 (May, 2003) pp
201-210 [accessed 4 September 2012] Indentured juvenile
prostitution is a cultural legacy for Taiwanese lower-class families dating
back to early immigrants from Dossier childhood and preadolescence's
condition - CHAPTER 2 - the difficulties and the abuse Rai Social Action
Department, 2002 www.segretariatosociale.rai.it/INGLESE/atelier/studi_ricerche/dossier_inf_2002/inf_cap2_2002.html [accessed 28 December 2010] POINT 12 - All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Patt,
Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
|||
Torture in [Taiwan] [other countries]Human Trafficking in [Taiwan Street Children in [Taiwan] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Taiwan] [other countries]