MOI vows to crack down on forced labor in Taiwan

2020/09/03

No stone will be left unturned in cracking down on forced labor in Taiwan and further strengthening the country’s anti-human trafficking regime, according to Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-Yen Sept. 1.
 
 Taiwan is a Tier 1 country in the latest Trafficking in Persons Report issued by the U.S. Department of State, Chen said. It is also listed as having the second lowest crime rate and second highest safety index in the world by respected global database firm Numbeo, he added.
 
 These results represent the effectiveness of related government policymaking, Chen said, adding they also demonstrate Taiwan Can Help bolster international initiatives aimed at eliminating the modern-day scourge.
 
 Chen made the remarks during the International Workshop on Combating Human Trafficking organized by the Ministry of the Interior. The daylong event was also attended by Minister without Portfolio Lo Ping-cheng, American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen and representatives of the civic, private and public sectors.
 
 The workshop focused on four areas: strategies for preventing human trafficking; victim safety and rebirth; the role of corporate social responsibility in anti-labor exploitation efforts; and important national challenges and breakthroughs in preventing human trafficking.
 
 In addition, special virtual presentations were delivered by Mark Charoenwong, prosecutor with the Ministry of Justice of Thailand; Patsy Ho, Hong Kong lawyer and winner of the U.S. Department of State’s Human Trafficking Hero Award 2020; and Luke de Pulford, CEO of U.K.-based anti-human trafficking and slavery organization Arise Foundation.
 
 According to the MOI, human trafficking in Taiwan mainly involves forced labor or sexual exploitation. The number of foreign victims in protective placement dropped to 92 last year, the lowest since implementation of the Human Trafficking Prevention Act in 2009, the ministry said.
 
 Interagency undertakings aimed at ensuring the country’s 700,000 migrant workers are fully protected continue apace, the MOI said. It is anticipated the 2021-2022 Exploitation Prevention Plan will raise the bar in this regard to new heights, the ministry added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)