The US State Department Annual Human Rights Report released in 2015, named Russia, China, Turkey, Egypt and other countries who suppress the freedom of speech. The Iran and North Korea regime persecuted people. Conventionally, the report will include Taiwan’s status, although there are no cases of serious human rights violations. But the report also refers to Taiwan’s last year main problem of foreign workers being exploited, as well as the corruption committed by officials.
The report notes that worker groups from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand are the most vulnerable to exploitation. Foreign domestic helpers are being exploited by the agency/broker system, after deducting the cost of handling fee charged by the agency company, a portion of the domestic workers actually gets 6.7% of the official poverty standard amount. For fear of being laid off, the foreign workers who are being exploited are often reluctant to report violations committed by the employers.
The report also pointed out that last year, the Indonesian fishermen working in a Kaohsiung fishing boat were ill-treated by the crew during sea operations, resulting in one death and another fisherman fell overboard into the sea. The crew did not even try to rescue the fisherman. Instead, he was declared missing. The case is still under investigation by the Pingtung prosecutor.
The common long working hours rendered by Taiwan laborers was also mentioned. The report quoted Taiwan's Ministry of Labor and Employment website survey, which indicates that 78% of workers in the media field work an average of more than 10 hours per day. Pilots, bus drivers, finance officers generally work overtime, 56% say they do not receive overtime pay for overtime work rendered..
Corruptions committed by Taiwan officials are also published in the human rights survey report. As of July last year, a total of 285 officials were prosecuted, including 22 senior officials, which includes the former deputy mayor of New Taipei City Xu Zhijian. The report indicates that the Ministry of Justice fully enforces the law, but a few politicians and scholars alleged that the Justice Department is sometimes influenced by political factors. Consequently, there is not enough justice in the enforcement of the law.
The Apple Daily – April 14, 2016
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