discrimination against migrant workers in Taiwan

One Thousand March in Taipei Calling For End To Broker System

Girard Mariano Lopez
During International Human Rights Day on December 10th, an estimated one thousand migrant workers from Southeast Asia together with Taiwanese labor and human rights activists marched on the streets of Taipei for the second biannual migrant worker rally with the theme “No Justice in Cross-Border Employment, Where is the Responsibility of the Government?”. The protest was to call for the abolishment of the private broker system and direct government to government hiring between Taiwan and the nation of origin, as well as strengthened public services for migrant workers especially for those that face abuse from employers...
December 2023EnglishLaborSocial Movements7 min read

Racist Inspections Target Southeast Asian Restaurants After Food Poisoning Incident

Brian Hioe
After a popular banh mi stand in Zhongli in Taoyuan was suspected to have caused food poisoning in over 500 individuals, the Taoyuan Department of Health announced yesterday that it will increase inspection of establishing serving “foreign cuisine”. It is thought that the food poisoning resulted from poor sanitation and incorrect storage of eggs. The stall has since been fined 540,000 NT and salmonella was later found through testing of affected individuals...
August 2023EnglishPolitics6 min read

Lessons from the Miaoli Lockdown: The Truth About Racism in the Asia Pacific

Alec Stimac
If level three advisory alert has shown us anything, it is that Taiwan has made clear its two-tier, bilateral approach to its foreign residents: one composed of lack of labor, discrimination, and equity protection. Notably, the majority of Miaoli’s Han residents were able to shop for groceries out and about while “second-tier” and “lesser” Southeast Asian migrant workers remained locked inside of their home quarantines after being blamed and scrutinized for the outbreak of COVID in the area...
COVID UpdatesEnglishJuly 2021LaborRaceSocial Movements9 min read

Miaoli Clusters Show That Attention to the Plight of Migrant Factory Workers Is Long Overdue

Brian Hioe
There has been increased international attention to the plight of migrant workers in Taiwan, after clusters broke out among migrant workers at eight electronics factories in Miaoli over the last month. The Miaoli clusters consisted of a total of 471 individuals, of which 400 were migrant workers, and of which 71 were Taiwanese...
COVID UpdatesEnglishJune 2021LaborSocial Movements8 min read