Together with the Serve the People Association–Taoyuan and the National Domestic Workers Union, Migrante Taiwan condemned the rise in sexual abuse cases against migrant workers in Taiwan.

According to state data, 169 migrant workers became victims of rape last year. The 77 who disclosed their nationality include 25 victims from Indonesia, 22 from the Philippines, 21 from Vietnam, three from Thailand, and one from Malaysia. Five were from unspecified countries. Thirty-one worked as domestic helpers (DH), while 23 worked in factories.

The Serve the People Association in 2023 study reported that 16% of migrant workers experienced violence against women, four times higher than that of the country’s ordinary workers. Among these, 60% of the migrant victims had experienced repeated sexual abuse.

Migrant workers, especially those employed as caregivers and DH, face higher risks of sexual harassment and rape in their employers’ homes. Even after repeated experiences of abuse, many of them do not file complaints with the authorities, proving that more cases of sexual abuse go undocumented by official statistics.

Despite the Taiwanese government boasting its country’s democratic freedom, it deprives migrant workers of their basic rights. The Labor Standards Act does not cover caregivers or migrant workers caring for the elderly. DHs are also not given proper breaks and are forced to work nearly the entire day and week, the groups explained.

“Kuo-Tsai Jung of the Ministry of Health and Welfare emphasized a “zero-tolerance” attitude towards sexual assault. We thus call unto her and the Taiwanese government to ensure that such “zero-tolerance turns into concrete action rather than just remain a slogan. Migrant workers must be safe not only in statistics, but in their daily lives be it at home, work, or anywhere in Taiwan,” the groups stated.