The government would continue to work with the private sector and international partners to combat crime, Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said yesterday, after Taiwan received its 14th straight top-tier ranking in the US’ Trafficking in Persons Report.
Taiwan was listed in Tier 1 because it “fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” and while human trafficking increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan “mobilized resources and strategies to locate [its] citizens and remove them from their exploitative circumstances,” the report said.
Taiwanese authorities’ efforts included investigating and prosecuting more traffickers, including crimes related to cyberscam operations, and increasing international law enforcement cooperation on trafficking crimes, it said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The annual report issued by the US Department of State groups countries into four tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 2 watch list and Tier 3.
The classification is based on the “extent of government efforts to eliminate human trafficking,” the report said.
Taiwan was one of 30 countries to receive a Tier 1 ranking, but one of only four in the report’s East Asia and Pacific region, along with Australia, the Philippines and Singapore.
Taiwanese authorities overcame difficulties and solved human trafficking issues with the help of the private sector, Lin said.
The Executive Yuan was deeply concerned about human trafficking cases related to cyberscams in Cambodia and the rights of foreign fishing crew members, and launched special task forces to coordinate resources and protect the victims, he said.
Although a Tier 1 ranking is the highest in the report, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking or that it has done enough to address the crime, the report said.
The report made nine recommendations to Taiwan, including increasing fisheries agency and labor inspector coverage to all authorized overseas ports, and extending trafficking victim identification authority to key stakeholder agencies, Lin said.
The Cabinet has already covered and responded to most of the recommendations in the “2023-2024 Anti-Exploitation Action Plan” released in April, Lin said.
The plan listed 19 human trafficking issues and 81 measures to prevent such incidents, including increasing the number of participants in the process of identifying trafficking victims, Lin said.
However, Greenpeace oceans campaigner Lee Yu-ton (李于彤) said in a statement that the ranking did not reflect the exploitation and unfair treatment fishery crew members face.
Taiwanese authorities should prevent human trafficking of open ocean fishery workers and eliminate forced labor in the industry, Lee said.
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