Taiwan – C&R 2023

Taiwan | Human Rights Abuses and Risks

Last Updated: July 2023

EVIDENCE | Forced labor, child labor, and/or human trafficking in seafood

Source	Details
U.S. Department of Labor 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor	Evidence of forced labor in fish goods.
U.S. Department of Labor 2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor	Not profiled in report
U.S. Department of State 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report	Evidence of trafficking in the fishing sector. Fishermen have experienced non- or under-payment of wages, long working hours, physical abuse, lack of food or medical care, denial of sleep, substandard safety equipment, and poor living conditions as well as coercive tactics as threats of physical violence, beatings, withholding of food and water, retention of identity documents, wage deductions, and non-contractual compulsory sharing of vessel operational costs. These abuses are particularly prevalent in Taiwan’s distant water fleet.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Seafood Social Risk Tool Profile	Evidence identified at the country, seafood-industry, and fishing level in the Taiwan country risk profile.

Additional civil society organization reports documenting human rights abuses:

2021, Verité, Recruitment and Employment Experiences of Filipino Migrant Fishers in Taiwan’s Tuna Fishing Sector: An Exploratory Study
2020, Global Labor Justice - International Labor Rights Forum, Labor Abuse in Taiwan’s Seafood Industry & Local Advocacy for Reform
2020, Greenpeace, Policy Briefing: Why the Department of Labor Must Put Taiwan-caught Tuna on its List of Goods Produced by Forced Labor
2020, Greenpeace, Choppy Waters – Forced Labor and Illegal Fishing in Taiwan’s Distant Water Fisheries
2020, Environmental Justice Foundation, Illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the Taiwanese fishing fleet
2019, Environmental Justice Foundation, Blood and Water
2018, Greenpeace, Misery at Sea: Human suffering in Taiwan’s distant water fishing fleets

RISK FACTORS

Risk Factor	Status	Details
Flag of Convenience (International Transport Workers Federation)	No	Flags of Convenience are connected to the occurrence of human trafficking and forced labor in fishing. Vessels registered to Flag of Convenience states may lack a legitimate connection to the flag state and may be subject to less rigorous management and oversight by the flag state.
Active yellow or red card for failing to tackle illegal fishing (European Union)	No	The European Union gives countries yellow and red cards for failing in their requirements under international law to take action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. There is evidence linking IUU fishing to an increased risk of human trafficking and forced labor on board fishing vessels.
Failure to ratify key treaties and international labor conventions		Ratifying key treaties and international labor conventions indicates a country’s commitment to uphold international standards. Port State Measures Agreement: The FAO considers Taiwan a province of China. ILO C188 Work in Fishing Convention: The ILO does not supervise the application of international labour standards in Taiwan. ILO Core Labor Conventions: The ILO does not supervise the application of international labour standards in Taiwan.