【Press Release】Taiwan Listed for the Third Time in the U.S. Forced Labor List; Civil Groups Criticize Government for Turning a Blind Eye and Allowing Fishermen to Become Victims

Immediate Press Release
Taiwan Listed for the Third Time on the U.S. Forced Labor List
Civil Groups Criticize Government for Turning a Blind Eye, Allowing Fishermen to Become Victims

On September 5, the U.S. Department of Labor released the latest "List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor," once again including products from Taiwan's distant-water fishing vessels on the list [1]. This is the third time Taiwan’s distant-water fishing industry has been listed since it first appearance in 2020, remaining to be the only industry in Taiwan to be listed.

The U.S. Department of Labor noted that migrant workers on Taiwan’s distant-water fishing vessels are deceived by intermediary agencies with misleading wage and contract information, forcing them to pay intermediary fees and sign loan agreements, leading to massive debt [2]. Additionally,  migrant workers on Taiwanese fishing vessels are subjected to their identification documents being confiscated, months without a chance to come ashore, long work days for 18 to 22 hours a day in harsh conditions and physical violence and verbal abuse, with no way out of leaving the vessel or terminiating the contracts.Even their most crucial needs, such as wages and room and board ezpenses, are illegally withheld or deducted. 

The Alliance for the Protection of Human Rights for Foreign Fishery Workers states, “Taiwanese fishing operators and intermediary agencies often engage in human-trafficking through forced labor.  use forced  The government, however, has entrusted labor matters on distant-water fishing vessels to the Fisheries Agency, a non-labor professional authority. Worse, public authority and related resources are outsourced to employer groups and intermediary agencies. Under the Fisheries Agency’s shelter and indulgence, vested interests exploit maritime laborers with impunity. In contrast, the Ministry of Labor, as the authority responsible for labor affairs, remains passive, and shirks its responsibility. As a result, maritime  maritime workers remain in a vulnerable position,  falling victims to forced labor.”

The Alliance emphasized that “the international market is crucial for Taiwan’s distant-water catches, but being listed three times shows that the Taiwanese government has failed to effectively address systemic forced labor in the industry. The ongoing negotiations on labor issues under the U.S.-Taiwan 21st Century Trade Initiative,  the EU’sCorporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the EU market the ban on forced labor products in the EU this year, marks foreign markets’ determination to eliminate forced labor goods. If Taiwan’s distant-water fishing industry fails to make significant improvement, it risks being eliminated from the market.”

Taiwan Association for Human Rights senior researcher Shih Yi-Hsiang comments, “Taiwan’s fishing industry being listed in the U.S. forced labor list for the third time highlights systemic and institutional problems. For example, in August 2023, it was revealed that ten Indonesian fishermen on the 'You Fu' were owed 15 months of wages by their employer. If these workers, who worked long-term at sea, had Wi-Fi to contact their families, they could have prevented their families from falling into survival crises due to unpaid wages. We urge the government, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Labor, to take this third listing as a warning and an opportunity. The biggest concern is that the Taiwanese government and businesses will remain indifferent and complacent. Civil society, fishery unions, and many international organizations concerned about the labor rights of Taiwanese fishermen are willing to collaborate with the government and industry to build solutions to eliminate forced labor in distant-water fishing, centered on the needs of fishermen.”

Wang Ying-da, Director of the Migrant Policy Department at the Taoyuan Association for Service to Migrant Workers, states, "The U.S. Department of Labor's list has again named Taiwan’s fishery products for the third consecutive time, over six years. This indicates that the U.S. government sees a severe risk of forced labor in Taiwan’s fishery products, and that there has been no substantial improvement in six years. The U.S. government’s stance aligns completely with the views of Taiwan’s labor rights, human rights, and environmental organizations. On the same day, the Control Yuan held a press conference criticizing the Ministry of Labor and the New Taipei City Government over complaints from dozens of coastal fishers who, after being laid off during the off-season, were placed in extremely poor living conditions by intermediaries. Just recently, it was revealed that ten fishermen on the 'You Fu' had gone unpaid for a year and a half. The constant emergence of cases involving severe exploitation, labor rights violations, and clear signs of forced labor in Taiwan’s fishing industry and among the country’s 800,000 migrant workers shows that this is not an isolated issue but a systemic one. The root cause is political leaders’ lack of political will, prioritizing political and economic interests over human rights. This is why the government has not responded to demands for fair hiring practices, allowing illegal fees and kickbacks to continue. We believe the government must take three steps to show real resolution and eliminate forced labor in Taiwan: 1. Set a timeline for reform and amend the law to ensure fair hiring practices, with no fees for migrant workers, and fully eradicate forced labor. 2. Collaborate with all migrant worker source countries to implement fair hiring practices and prohibit fees charged to migrant workers. 3. Assist individual employers and fishery associations in negotiating with downstream brands and retailers and urge them to share the cost of hiring migrant workers.”

Liao Li-hua, Secretary-General of the Yilan County Fishermen's Union, stated, "Since Taiwan’s distant-water catches were first included in the list in 2020, the Fisheries Agency has aimed at getting off the blacklist instead of ending forced labor. The government’s attitude towards combating human trafficking and ending modern slavery has been passive and ineffective, focusing only on the economic output of the industry and the interests of operators. The disregards  the labor dignity and basic human rights of fishery workers  deserves international condemnation and severe sanctions."

The Ocean Project Director of the Environmental Justice Foundation, Lin You-liang, expresses , "Recently, the Taiwanese government submitted a report emphasizing significant improvements in forced labor on distant-water fishing vessels. However, the Environmental Justice Foundation continues to find issues in its investigations, including wage deductions, withheld deposits and identification documents, and poor living conditions on some vessels. The Foundation calls on the Taiwanese government to swiftly implement ILO C188 into domestic law and ensure these measures are effectively enforced."

Sari Heidenreich, the Senior Human Rights Advisor at Greenpeace USA, states, "The U.S. Department of Labor's report  “The report underscores a troubling reality: American consumers are still at significant risk of consuming seafood tainted by modern slavery. With fish from Taiwan remaining on the Department of Labor’s List of Goods Produced with Child Labor or Forced Labor, it is essential for companies importing seafood from Taiwan to scrutinize their supply chains much more rigorously. By quickly and decisively addressing these issues, companies can show both strong business sense and moral leadership, ensuring they protect both workers and consumers by eliminating human rights abuses from their supply chains.” 

Translated by: KJ, Intern Edited by: Nini, Intern

Mandarin version ：https://www.tahr.org.tw/news/3580