US report: Pinoys trafficked to Taiwan via recruiters, brokers

Filipinos are among the migrant workers trafficked to Taiwan through recruiters and brokers, a recent US State Department report showed. Filipinos and seven other nationals are trafficked to Taiwan to perform low-skilled work and as domestic workers and home caregivers, the report said, quoting news site Taiwan Times. The news site said the US State Department’s report identified Filipinos, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesians, Chinese, Cambodians, Bangladeshis, and Indians to do low-skilled work in Taiwan’s manufacturing and fishing industries. Taiwan is still in the US’ trafficking list for remaining a destination country for trafficked people, as well as a source and transit territory for men, women, and children subjected to state trafficking and forced labor, the US report said. “Many of these workers fall victim to labor trafficking by unscrupulous brokers and employers, who force workers to perform work outside the scope of their contract and often under exploitative conditions," it said. “Some women and girls from China and Southeast Asian countries are lured to Taiwan through fraudulent marriages and deceptive employment offers for purposes of sex trafficking and forced labor," the US report added. — OFW Journalism Consortium