As part of the One Billion Rising campaign, Taiwanese migrant workers held an action by dancing OBR at Taipei Railway Station, Sunday (3/24/2019).
According to news reported by the Taipei Times, the action, which was attended by dozens of migrant workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, aims to end gender-based violence and exploitation of female domestic workers and calls for more protection for migrant domestic workers (PRT).
According to Gilda Banugan, chairman of Taiwan Migrante International, the OBR dance is performed in the main hall of the Station to show and raise awareness about how many female migrant workers still experience sexual, mental or physical violence.
“This event is being hosted by our community for the seventh time since the launch of the global OBR campaign by playwright and activist Eve Ensler on Valentine’s Day in 2012,” Banugan was quoted as saying by the Taipei Times.
According to the official OBR website when referring to statistics, there are one in three women worldwide, or a total of 1 billion who are likely to be beaten or raped in their lifetime.
According to Banugan, female migrant domestic workers in Taiwan are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation because they are not protected by the Labor Standards Act.
“Rape, sexual harassment, underpaid, illegal wages, forced labour, human trafficking, slavery and discrimination – these are all common problems experienced by female migrant workers in Taiwan every day,” said Banugan.
To better protect their rights, Banugan hopes that the government will soon implement a law for domestic workers and incorporate it into its long-term care system. In addition, the government should crack down on labor agencies that charge illegal fees and take steps to ensure that domestic workers are given proper days off.
“We are not slaves. We also need to rest and spend time with our families,” said Fajar Albarokah, a member of the Ganas Community.
According to Fajar, Taiwanese Migrant Domestic Workers are generally overworked and underpaid.
“Even on holidays, they are required to do work that is not part of their work contract before leaving and after returning from vacation,” said Fajar.
Wong Ying-dah, director of the Association’s Service Center and Shelter for Migrant Workers,
said the government has done little to improve the rights of migrant domestic workers in the past seven years.
“Those who can participate in today’s OBR event are the lucky ones. Many have had to ask for a month’s holiday in advance to be allowed to come,” Wong said.
Due to the lack of protection from the government, many migrant domestic workers do not even have one day off a week.
According to a survey by the Ministry of Manpower conducted last year, of the 234,907 migrant domestic workers in Taiwan, 34.6 percent never get a day off. On average, they work at least 10 hours a day and receive a monthly salary of NT$19,927.
