VZCZCXRO2646
PP RUEHHM
DE RUEHIN #0642/01 0600705
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010705Z MAR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8769
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3146
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4742
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 3002
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 3779
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 9645
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 0530
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 7461
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9008
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0009
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 5936
RUESLE/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8405
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 4993
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RHEFHLC/DHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 26 TAIPEI 000642 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR USAID, G/TIP, G, INL. DRL. PRM, IWI, EAP/RSP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG
SUBJECT: 2006 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT: TAIWAN 
 
REF: STATE 3836 
 
¶1. (U) Following is AIT/T's 2005-06 Trafficking-in-Persons 
(TIP) report.  The report is presented according to reftel 
 sections, beginning with 21 A. 
 
-------- 
Overview 
-------- 
 
21 A. (SBU) Is the country a country of origin, transit or 
destination for international trafficked men, women or 
children?  Specify numbers for each group; how were they 
trafficked, to where, and for what purpose.  Does the 
trafficking occur within the country's borders?  Does it 
occur in territory outside of the government's control (e.g. 
in a civil war situation)?  Are any estimates or reliable 
numbers available as to the extent or magnitude of the 
problem?  Please include any numbers of victims.  What is 
(are) the sources (s) of available information on trafficking 
in persons or what plans are in place (if any) to undertake 
documentation of trafficking?  How reliable are the numbers 
and these sources?  Are certain groups of persons more at 
risk 
of being trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus 
girls, 
certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)? 
 
Country of Origin: Taiwan is a source country for a limited 
number of women trafficked to Japan.  Official estimates are 
not available on the number of women being trafficked from 
Taiwan because the women are transported legally on 
commercial flights to Japan.  Citizens of Taiwan currently 
do not need visas to visit Japan.  The majority of the women 
trafficked come from rural areas, have limited incomes, and 
few 
employment opportunities.  According to Interpol Taipei, the 
women are lured to Japan with promises of job opportunities, 
which include free transportation, that are posted in 
advertisements mostly in southern Taiwan.  The advertising is 
done under the guise of employment agencies with contacts in 
Japan.  In reality the advertisements with promises of legal 
jobs are scams.  Once the women from Taiwan arrive in Japan, 
they are forced into prostitution or other forms of labor and 
threatened with bodily harm to prevent them from going to 
authorities.  According to Interpol Taipei officials, the 
problem is large enough to warrant an officer in Taiwan's 
representative office in Tokyo working in cooperation with 
Japanese authorities to identify trafficking victims and 
return 
them to Taiwan. 
 
Country of Transit: Taiwan is not a transit point for a 
significant number of internationally trafficked persons. 
Taiwan is a transit point for a small number of illegal 
Mainland Chinese seeking to enter the United States.  Taiwan 
criminal gangs are involved in smuggling these immigrants 
through the use of fraudulent Taiwan travel documents and 
aboard Taiwan-operated ships.  Although these illegal aliens 
are voluntary migrants, some of them may end up victims of 
trafficking as they become caught up in debt bondage, forced 
prostitution, or other schemes upon reaching their 
destination. 
 
Country of Destination: There are continuing reports of 
women from Mainland China and Southeast Asia being trafficked 
to Taiwan for purposes of prostitution and forced labor. 
There are also reports that fraudulent marriages to Taiwanese 
men, primarily with women from Vietnam, are being used for 
trafficking.  In addition, the problem of Labor trafficking 
was highlighted after several foreign worker protests and 
riots occurred in 2005 over poor working conditions and 
worker 
rights. 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  002 OF 026 
 
 
 
Taiwan's lucrative sex trade, cultural, and geographic 
proximity with the PRC and Southeast Asia, and large-scale 
movement of foreign workers provide opportunities for 
traffickers 
to exploit victims.  The majority of trafficking victims are 
forced into the sex industry, primarily prostitution.  There 
are 
also known cases of forced manual labor, domestic servitude, 
and 
work in restaurants.  In most cases, the victims' passports 
are 
seized, and they may be subject to threats of violence in 
order 
to keep them from going to the authorities or attempting to 
escape from their captors.  The Ministry of Interior (MOI) 
reported that there were 2220 trafficking-related arrests 
in 2005 (1074 from the PRC and 1146 from Southeast Asia). 
According to MOI, Taiwan authorities in 2005 deported 1440 
PRC 
citizens and 1144 citizens from Southeast Asia.  Due to the 
large number of foreign workers and foreign brides in Taiwan, 
reliable estimates of the number of persons being trafficked 
in these categories is unavailable and difficult to estimate. 
 
 
There are also reports of a small number of girls who 
are forced into prostitution.  According to women's rights 
groups involved in rehabilitating girls and women caught in 
Taiwan's sex industry, the number of trafficking victims that 
are underage (under 18) is low.  According to MOI officials, 
of the 1013 PRC women at the Hsinchu and Ilan Detention 
Centers as of February 2006, 19 are underage.  These numbers 
can be attributed to the fact that the trafficking situation 
has changed since the late 1980s when religious groups, 
women's 
rights groups and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 
embarked on a campaign to end forced child prostitution in 
Taiwan.  Working with government officials, the NGOs achieved 
the passage of the 1995 Statue for prevention of Child and 
Juvenile 
Sexual Trafficking.  That law not only specified heavy 
penalties 
for forcing minors into commercial sexual transactions, but 
also provided for the prevention, rescue, rehabilitation and 
protection of victims.  It stipulated that the government 
create an interagency task force to monitor the law's 
implementation. The 1995 statute specifically protected 
minors 
by capturing the attention of society in general and the 
authorities in particular.  The social movement fostered by 
the effort to end child prostitution also worked to reduce 
forced prostitution of Taiwan and foreign adult women as well. 
 
Sources of Information: Ministry of Justice, Ministry of 
Interior, Immigration Bureau, Interpol Taipei, National 
Police Administration, academics, human rights groups, and 
women's rights and foreign labor/bride NGOs are the 
primary sources for information about trafficking in persons. 
 
These sources, all of which are generally reliable and all of 
which often cooperate with each other in regards to 
anti-trafficking efforts, agree that specific numbers of 
trafficked persons are extremely difficult to come by. 
There is a clear consensus that the incidence of trafficking 
for prostitution of minors has declined dramatically since 
the passage of the 1995 Statue for the Prevention of Child 
and Juvenile Sexual Trafficking. 
 
21 B. (SBU) Please provide a general overview of the 
trafficking situation in the country and any changes since 
the last TIP Report (e.g. changes in direction).  Also 
briefly 
explain the political will to address trafficking in persons. 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  003 OF 026 
 
 
 
Other items to address may include: what kind of conditions 
are 
the victims trafficked into?  Which populations are targeted 
by the traffickers?  Who are the traffickers?  What methods 
are 
used to approach victims? (Are they offered lucrative jobs, 
sold 
by their families, approached by friends of friends, etc.?) 
What 
methods are used to move the victims (e.g., are false 
documents 
being used?). 
 
Most female trafficking victims in Taiwan are from Mainland 
China and Southeast Asia.  Many men from Southeast Asian 
countries are also victims of labor trafficking.  Taiwan is 
the final destination for the vast majority of the victims 
trafficked to Taiwan. 
 
Trafficking from the PRC: According to Taiwan Coast Guard 
authorities in 2005, over 90 percent of illegal immigrants 
they intercepted from the PRC were women.  Of these female 
illegal immigrants, many are victims of trafficking and have 
been forced into prostitution.  Coast Guard officials told 
AIT 
that previously the majority of illegal immigrants from the 
PRC 
were men who had been recruited for low wage labor.  However, 
foreign workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam 
are now filling these jobs.  Thus, trafficking syndicates are 
focusing on women from the PRC in rural areas who lack 
employment 
opportunities in order to supply Taiwan's lucrative 
prostitution 
industry.  Most of the women from China are lured from poor 
households 
in Sichuan and Fujian province by trafficking syndicates with 
promises of stable jobs in Taiwan.  The syndicates are based 
in 
Fujian and the Coast Guard estimates 60 percent of smugglers 
use 
one major route from Fujian's porous coastline to Taiwan. 
The girls 
are transported from the Fujian coast to PRC fishing boats 
and then 
transferred to Taiwan fishing boats at night.  The women are 
delivered to trafficking syndicates where the girls are 
auctioned 
off based on their physical characteristics.  Coast Guard 
officials 
told AIT that the more attractive women are used for 
prostitution 
while the others are used for manual labor.  The majority of 
girls 
do not know they are coming to Taiwan for prostitution. NGOs 
told 
AIT that the women who agree to travel to Taiwan have to 
repay about 
US $6,500 in travel fees and the local traffickers sell each 
girl 
for around US $5,000. 
 
Taiwan in 2005 made progress in addressing the care and 
protection of 
trafficked PRC women once they are taken into custody by 
authorities. 
Understanding and awareness of the problem of trafficking 
among 
government and police officials is increasing.  The MOI 
constructed a 
new facility solely for PRC TIP victims at the Ilan Detention 
Center, 
which includes a common area with recreation equipment, 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  004 OF 026 
 
 
organized 
activities, television sets, and is operated more like a 
shelter than 
a detention facility.  At both the Hsinchu and Ilan Detention 
Centers, 
immigration authorities adopted a standard screening and 
protection 
system.  TIP victims are identified based on initial police 
interviews, the circumstances of the women,s arrival in 
Taiwan, 
and other evidence obtained by investigators.  Once women 
arrive at 
the detention centers, a second interview is conducted with 
the 
assistance of social workers to ensure victims are properly 
identified. 
Victims have regular access to NGOs and social workers, and 
recreational 
activities are provided and encouraged.  Both NGOs and 
religious social 
workers visit the victims at least twice a week and are 
available more 
often if needed.  Taiwan authorities encourage trafficked 
women to 
cooperate with officials to prosecute traffickers. 
Authorities have 
developed a better understanding of the dangers trafficked 
women face 
and the need for proper protection if the women cooperate in 
prosecuting 
trafficking syndicates.  In 2005, Taiwan passed a witness 
protection law 
that protects women from retaliation and helps encourage 
their 
cooperation in investigating trafficking rings. 
 
Taiwan authorities in 2005 also collaborated with NGOs to 
enhance training 
and TIP awareness among Taiwan law enforcement officials via 
two trafficking 
conferences co-sponsored by AIT and G/TIP.  In June 2005, the 
Taipei Women,s 
Rescue Foundation (TWRF) in partnership with the 
International Organization 
for Adolescents (IOFA) and AIT sponsored a TIP conference 
that included 
training sessions for Taiwan police and border officials 
aimed at fostering 
TIP awareness, identifying TIP victims, and providing victims 
adequate care 
and shelter.  In November 2005, a conference entitled 
"Strategies for Combating 
Human Trafficking from Southeast Asia to Taiwan," coordinated 
by AIT, Vital 
Voices, and the Garden of Hope Foundation focused on the 
problem of TIP from 
labor trafficking and fraudulent marriages and included 
training sessions for 
police officials. 
 
Fraudulent Marriages: NGOs and media outlets report that 
fraudulent marriages 
are commonly used as a vehicle for human trafficking, in part 
because the 
penalties for bogus husbands are lenient.  Under current 
laws, maximum 
penalties for "sham" marriages (those who serve as false 
husbands) is only a 
few days in jail and fines under $100.  Penalties for 
traffickers are much 
higher, but traffickers are rarely apprehended by 
authorities.  Foreign brides 
are lured to Taiwan by traffickers disguised as marriage 
brokers, only to be 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  005 OF 026 
 
 
forced into prostitution or exploitive labor.  Many incidents 
of physical and 
mental abuse have been reported in the media and by NGOs. 
According to MOI 
statistics, in 2005 nearly a quarter of new marriages in 
Taiwan involved a 
foreign bride and around 70 percent of the foreign 
non-Chinese brides are 
from Vietnam.  Taiwan MOFA officials estimate that since 1995 
approximately 
100,000 Vietnamese women have been issued Taiwan marriage 
visas.  According 
to NGOs and police officials, organized recruiting rings in 
Cambodia and 
Vietnam work with "husband" recruiters in Taiwan to traffic 
the women to 
Taiwan and then lease them to local brothels. 
 
Fraudulent marriages have become the method of choice for 
trafficking 
women since it is safer than smuggling women by boat and 
there is little 
cost for the husbands if they are caught.  MOFA and NGO 
officials say 
that the typical groom pays US $6,000 to $10,000 for a 
package which 
includes at least one trip to Vietnam, the opportunity to 
pick a bride 
from a lineup of young women, and any marriage ceremonies and 
paperwork 
needed to complete the migration process.  MOFA officials 
admit there 
is no effective system for tracking immigrants once they 
enter Taiwan. 
Vietnamese brides receive a 6-month resident permit upon 
entry to 
Taiwan.  They are subsequently required to register with the 
police 
for their Alien Resident Certificates, which are valid for 
one year. 
After three years, a bride can apply for Taiwanese 
citizenship, but 
if the bride does not live with her husband, the marriage is 
considered 
fraudulent and her stay in Taiwan is deemed illegal.  MOFA 
officials 
explained that police do not have the resources to verify if 
the 
brides live with their husbands and cited a survey conducted 
by 
police in Taipei County in 2005 which showed that 47 percent 
of 
Vietnamese brides in the county were not living with their 
husbands. 
Taiwanese authorities have no statistics on the status of 
these women, 
and MOFA explained that domestic abuse, age differences, 
language 
barriers, and cultural differences as contributing to this 
situation. 
 
The influx of foreign brides has sparked some anxiety in 
Taiwan about 
their impact on Taiwan society and culture.  There is a 
degree of 
prejudice against foreign brides because they are perceived 
as uneducated 
and poor, marrying for money, or entering Taiwan for 
prostitution or 
illegal work.  The main social problem associated with 
foreign brides, 
according to press reports and discussions with government 
officials, 
is their low education level and language ability.  Southeast 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  006 OF 026 
 
 
Asian 
brides in particular are viewed as uneducated because they 
cannot 
speak Mandarin fluently, which many Taiwanese fear will 
hinder the 
children of foreign brides and their development in Taiwanese 
society. 
 
Only recently has the issue of foreign brides and the 
accompanying 
social implications caught the attention of political leaders 
and 
law enforcement officials in Taiwan.  As legislators, NGOs, 
and media 
outlets increasingly speak out on the issue of "foreign 
brides," Taiwan 
authorities are beginning to take measures to address the 
plight of 
Southeast Asian women lured to Taiwan for false marriages and 
then 
forced into prostitution.  Although the government still does 
not 
perform a criminal or domestic abuse check on the prospective 
Taiwanese grooms prior to the marriage, one mechanism Taiwan 
instituted in 2005, citing the growing number of marriages 
for 
purposes of trafficking, is to interview foreign spouses 
face-to-face 
in their home countries before departure to Taiwan or upon 
their 
arrival in Taiwan to ensure the marriages are legitimate. 
Marriage 
registration must be completed in both countries and all 
documentation 
is scrutinized.  Suspicious cases are either rejected 
outright or are 
given only a 30-60 day visa, and Taiwan authorities follow up 
after 
the women arrive in Taiwan.  Visas for marriages determined 
to be 
fraudulent are canceled.  Prior to 2005, relatively few of 
the cases 
were refused.  According to MOFA statistics, approximately 
12,000 
brides from Southeast Asia were interviewed in 2004 and 
11,000 of 
those cases were approved.  By contrast, MOFA officials said 
that 
in 2005 around 30 to 35 percent of cases had been rejected 
outright 
since initiation of one-on-one interviews.  Also beginning in 
2005, 
Taiwan requires couples receiving visas to attend a mandatory 
two-hour 
information session where women are informed about their 
rights under 
Taiwanese law.  According to MOFA, Taiwan also established a 
domestic 
violence hotline staffed by workers who speak Vietnamese, 
Cambodian, 
Thai, and English.  These workers have the authority to help 
victims find 
shelters and to provide legal and financial assistance to 
abused foreign 
brides.  The government also allocated US $100 million over 
10 years to 
help foreign brides adjust to life in Taiwan by offering 
resources such 
as language, culture, and support programs. 
 
NGOs welcome these changes, but note that relatively few 
brides are aware 
there are resources available to help them and point out that 
the quality 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  007 OF 026 
 
 
of care and protection offered by authorities for victims is 
inconsistent 
and varies because most cases are handled by local police and 
court 
officials. 
 
Labor Trafficking: Riots and protests by foreign workers in 
2005 over 
poor working conditions and abuses by employer brokers have 
highlighted 
the problem of labor trafficking and illustrated the need for 
changes in 
Taiwan,s treatment of foreign workers.  According to MOI, 
there are 
approximately 314,000 foreign workers in Taiwan.  They are 
composed of 
90,000 each from Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, and 
20,000 from 
Indonesia.  Many foreign workers are hired as domestic 
caretakers and then 
sent to factories after they arrive in Taiwan.  Employers use 
this method 
to circumvent quotas on hiring foreign workers since domestic 
caretakers 
are exempted from quota restrictions.  The foreign workers 
are required to 
work in factories but then paid the same wages as a domestic 
caretaker; a 
fraction of the prevailing wage rate for a factory worker. 
Moreover, 
Taiwan has no rules that protect foreign workers from being 
repatriated. 
Under current laws, an employer can repatriate foreign 
workers at any time. 
Without this protection, foreign workers who raise concerns 
or seek help 
can be arbitrarily deported.  This was one of the factors 
that led to 
Thai worker riots and protests in 2005.  In July, sixteen 
Filipino 
construction workers tried to stage a strike at the Formosa 
Plastics 
Corporation oil refinery about salary deductions.  They were 
allegedly beaten by refinery guards and immediately deported 
without 
recourse. 
 
High broker fees turn workers into indentured servants when 
they arrive 
in Taiwan.  For example, a domestic caretaker over three 
years will pay 
brokers around US $4,000 to $8,000 for a job in Taiwan.  Most 
workers 
expect to save nothing in the first 1-2 years to pay off the 
debt to the 
brokers. As a result, many workers run away from their 
brokers to seek 
other jobs.  According to the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA), 
the number 
of Vietnamese who illegally "escaped" from their work place 
(i.e. came 
to Taiwan to work and then disappeared from their place of 
employment) 
increased from 1,584 in 2002 to 7,536 in 2004 to 12,079 as of 
December 
¶2005.  The overall "escape" rate increased from 10 percent in 
2004 to 
14 percent in 2005.  Due to the high escape rates over the 
past three 
years, the CLA has suspended the import of new Vietnamese 
workers. 
According to Taiwan officials, the escape rate can partially 
be 
explained because higher wages are offered by illegal 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  008.2 OF 026 
 
 
employers (US $800 per month versus $500).  NGOs say another 
factor is the harsh conditions and abuses many workers must endure. 
There are no figures available on the number of those "escapees" 
who were victims of trafficking.  Penalties for employers involved 
in labor trafficking are light and usually involve a small fine. 
Labor authorities will rescind an employer's right to hire domestic 
caretakers only after the third offense.  Domestic caretakers, who 
account for about half of foreign workers in Taiwan, are not 
covered by Taiwan's labor standards law.  Without 
any laws to protect domestic caretakers, time off, minimum 
wage, and working conditions are decided by the employer. 
In April 2005, a broker in southern Taiwan was discovered to 
have raped up to thirty Vietnamese foreign workers 
whom he had brought to Taiwan. 
 
The CLA is doing more to combat labor trafficking in Taiwan. 
In 2004, the CLA established a legal aid office that provides 
free legal services to foreign workers.  The government in 2005 
also established 24 offices around the island to provide 
counseling and other services to foreign workers.  CLA 
also publishes pamphlets in various languages that explain 
worker rights and provide information on resources available. 
Weekly radio programs are broadcast in various languages directed 
toward foreign workers.  The government also established a 
hotline for workers to report abuse. Taiwan authorities 
are working with NGOs to provide shelter and care to victims 
of labor trafficking.  Victims have the option of remaining in 
Taiwan if they want to keep working for different employers or 
they can return home. However, according to NGOs and from cases 
observed by AIT, many workers are unaware of the hotline, the 
pamphlets, or the availability of shelters. 
To address the deportation problem, the CLA said that plans 
are underway to build a separate waiting area for foreign workers 
at the airport. Brokers will not be allowed in the area and the 
workers will be given pamphlets in their language detailing their 
rights.  On departure the foreign workers will be allowed to report 
any illegal activity and be given the option to stay in a government 
shelter if they believe they are being deported without cause. 
 
Political Will: There is increasing political will and effort 
by Taiwan authorities to combat trafficking in persons and human 
smuggling. Taiwan authorities have continued to address trafficking 
in persons as they have become more aware and better equipped to 
handle the problem.  Minister of Justice Shih Mao-lin specifically 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  009 OF 026 
 
 
mentioned the 
problem of trafficking during his February 1, 2005 arrival 
speech at 
MOJ, stating that trafficking in persons is a crime and that 
it not only 
gives Taiwan a bad image abroad, but is itself a basic human 
rights issue. 
As previously noted in 21 B, Taiwan authorities have made 
considerable 
improvements in the way they identify, process, and care for 
TIP victims. 
Authorities are also becoming more attuned to the issue of 
labor 
trafficking and TIP via fraudulent marriages. 
 
In 2003, senior officials in both the EY and MOI became 
personally 
involved in the effort to prevent trafficking when they 
pushed for 
the implementation of a new immigration process for Mainland 
Chinese 
spouses, some of whom were known to have been involved in 
false or 
contrived marriages that resulted in the "wife" becoming the 
victim of 
trafficking.  As part of the process, AIT's Consular Section 
was 
asked by the Bureau of Immigration to provide training to its 
officers in interview techniques, the detection of false 
marriages, 
and other anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking measures that 
can 
be applied during the immigration process.  The result was 
the Bureau of Immigration's establishment of a new interview 
mechanism for Mainland spouses in September 2003.  The 
Bureau of Immigration interviewed 42,164 Mainland spouses 
in 2005.  Of these marriages, 1,372 were found to be 
fraudulent. 
 
Taiwan has also stepped up efforts to target syndicates 
smuggling women from the PRC to Taiwan.  From November 2003 
to May 2004, Taiwan's Coast Guard set up a temporary 
trafficking syndicate task force in cooperation with the PRC 
Coast Guard.  Taiwan Coast Guard authorities apprehended over 
2000 women from Mainland China trying to enter Taiwan 
illegally.  In 1998, less than 100 women were apprehended 
which the Coast Guard said reflects the new situation of 
primarily women being smuggled and Taiwan's new focus on 
combating the trafficking problem.  Coast Guard officials in 
January 2006 told AIT that such cooperation is often 
dependent on 
the status of "political" relations between the PRC and 
Taiwan and 
explained that there have not been additional task forces 
since 
2004, although repatriations continue.  A more stringent law 
also 
was enacted in January 2004 aimed at cross-Strait smugglers. 
The 
statute stipulates that any person found guilty of smuggling 
Mainland Chinese into Taiwan shall be punished with a prison 
term 
of 3-10 years and fined up to US $150,000.  Boat owners and 
crewmembers 
associated with smuggling will be punished with a prison term 
up to 
3 years and/or a US $30,000-$200,000 fine and the boat will 
be 
confiscated. 
 
On the legislative front, Legislator Bi-khim Hsiao has taken 
the lead in sponsoring TIP-related legislation and is pushing 
for a comprehensive TIP law.  In December 2005, the 
Legislative 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  010 OF 026 
 
 
Yuan (LY) Home and Nations Committee held a hearing on human 
trafficking and reached a bipartisan consensus to add a 
special 
anti-trafficking provision in new immigration laws under 
consideration.  The same committee in February 2006 discussed 
the need for adopting formal standards for the protection of 
trafficking victims and pledged to work on formal legislation 
that would address the needs of victims.  In November 2005, 
the LY passed a law to streamline immigration policies and 
procedures under a revamped Bureau of Immigration, which will 
begin operating in 2006.  The new Bureau of Immigration will 
incorporate background investigations and interviews from 
migrants, 
repatriation, detection, residency permits, refugee 
identification and asylum under one organization. 
 
21 C. (SBU) What are the limitations on the government,s 
ability 
to address the problem in practice?  For example, is funding 
for 
police or other institutions inadequate?  Is overall 
corruption 
a problem?  Does the government lack the resources to aid 
victims? 
 
Taiwan's greatest handicap in fighting trafficking from the 
PRC 
is the state of relations with the PRC.  According to Taiwan 
authorities, the complicated political relationship and lack 
of normal communication channels between the two sides, as 
well as an evident lack of willingness by the PRC to assist, 
is their greatest roadblock and makes it very difficult for 
them to deal as effectively with the problem as they would 
like. 
 
Regarding labor trafficking and fraudulent marriages, Taiwan 
faces 
few budget or personnel shortages that hinder the 
government,s 
ability to fight TIP or to provide adequate care and 
protection 
for victims.  Corruption may occur in isolated cases, but is 
not 
a widespread problem.  The primary handicap has been 
Taiwan,s slow 
response to the problem and lack of understanding of TIP -- 
although 
this is changing as the government increased efforts in 2005 
to 
address TIP. 
 
22 D. (SBU) To what extent does the government systematically 
monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- 
prosecution, 
prevention and victim protection) and periodically make 
available, 
publicly or privately and directly or through 
regional/international 
organizations, its assessments of these anti-trafficking 
efforts? 
 
The government does not yet systematically monitor its 
anti-trafficking 
efforts on all fronts.  However, the government does 
systematically 
monitor underage trafficking.  The 1995 Statute for the 
Prevention 
of Child and Juvenile Sexual trafficking created an 
interagency 
taskforce composed of the ministries of Interior, Justice, 
Defense, Economic Affairs, Transportation, Education, the 
Department of Health, the Mainland Affairs Council, and the 
Council of Labor Affairs.  Together with key NGOs, this task 
force monitors implementation of the 1995 statute and 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  011 OF 026 
 
 
provides 
guidance to member agencies through semi-annual written 
reports. 
The Public Prosecutors Office of the Taiwan High Court has 
assigned prosecutors trained to handle trafficking cases and 
has set up a supervisory group which regularly convenes 
officials from district courts and police agencies to discuss 
improving law enforcement on child and juvenile sex trade. 
 
Taiwan government authorities have not yet sanctioned an 
official survey or overview of the trafficking situation in 
Taiwan.  In 2005, the NGO Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation 
(TWRF) published a report on trafficked women in Taiwan. 
Another local NGO, End Child Prostitution, Pornography and 
Trafficking (ECPAT) Taiwan, drafted a short report on 
trafficking which AIT reviewed in 2005 and used in last 
year,s report. 
 
---------- 
Prevention 
---------- 
 
22 A. (SBU) Does the government acknowledge that trafficking 
is a problem in that country?  If no, why not? 
 
At the National level, Taiwan generally takes all forms of 
alien smuggling and trafficking seriously and has publicly 
expressed concern about these problems.  Taiwan authorities 
had been less aware of the problem of foreign brides and 
labor trafficking in the past, but have begun doing more 
to combat the problem.  At the local level in more rural 
areas of southern Taiwan, NGOs report that the government,s 
understanding of TIP and assistance offered to trafficking 
victims is inconsistent, varying from city to city.  Taiwan 
authorities are conscious of the fact that Taiwan is a 
small island alongside the world's most populous country 
with a well-documented record of large-scale emigration, 
often illegal.  With the expansion of two-way contact 
between Taiwan and the PRC, Taiwan authorities have become 
very attuned to, and concerned about, the increasing number 
of mainland "immigrants," both legal and illegal, into 
Taiwan.  They are also keenly aware that Taiwan makes an 
attractive transit point for the smuggling of PRC nationals 
to other countries and that Taiwan documents are the 
papers of choice for "snakeheads" moving their human 
cargo around the world.  The establishment of Taiwan's new 
immigrant screening procedure is an example of their 
seriousness in trying to deal with these challenges. 
In addition, the EY's Human Rights Group in January 2005 
published a report describing measures Taiwan government 
agencies are taking to prevent trafficking in persons in 
its response to the 2004 Human Rights report published 
by the Department of State.  The EY's report highlighted 
new statutes that target trafficking activities, 
detailed law enforcement efforts to detain smugglers, and 
listed new immigration initiatives to curb fraudulent 
marriages from abroad. 
 
22 B. (SBU) Which government agencies are involved in 
anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Interior (including 
all bodies under the control of the National Police 
Administration), Executive Yuan, Coast Guard, Ministry of 
Education, Council of Labor Affairs, Ministry of Defense, 
Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Transportation. 
 
22 C. (SBU) Are there, or have there been, government-run 
anti-trafficking information or education campaigns?  If so, 
briefly describe the campaign (s) including their objectives 
and effectiveness.  Do these campaigns target potential 
trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking (e.g. 
"clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor). 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  012 OF 026 
 
 
 
The Taiwan government has not sponsored an international 
trafficking education campaign focused on trafficking from 
the PRC or elsewhere abroad.  There has been extensive local 
media coverage of PRC migration and the problems it poses. 
Tensions in Taiwan-PRC relations have precluded a 
Taiwan-organized media campaign in China.  The government has 
organized a campaign focused on local Taiwanese women aimed 
at curbing prostitution in Taiwan.  Concerned with the rising 
incidence of Taiwan girls who voluntarily become prostitutes, 
the ministries of Interior and Education are working with 
NGOs to prevent school dropouts from becoming involved in the 
sex industry.  The NGOs have set up counseling services and 
youth organizations in an effort to get the dropouts to 
return to school.  By law, when a student is absent for more 
than three days without parental notification, the school 
must notify the authorities, which then send a social worker 
to investigate the case. 
 
The 1995 statute provided for preventive educational programs 
at schools that cultivate appropriate sexual psychology, 
promote gender equality, teach respect for others, correct 
improper sexual conceptions, develop self-defense skills, and 
reinforce the message that sexual activities should not be 
commercial transactions.  The Ministry of Education has 
developed guidelines for implementing preventive education 
courses and these courses have been added to the curriculum 
at all school levels. 
 
22 D. (SBU) Does the government support other programs to 
prevent trafficking? (e.g., to promote women's participation 
in economic decision-making or efforts to keep children in 
school.)  Please explain. 
 
The government supports various official and NGO 
anti-trafficking prevention programs.  In 2003 the Health 
Department created the Birth Announcement System.  The MOI's 
Children's Bureau has formulated procedures for the 
protection, settlement, and adoption of abandoned babies. 
The Government Information Office publishes pamphlets and 
produced a public service television commercial to appeal for 
the protection of children and teenagers.  The government 
financially supports a program sponsored by End Child 
Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking (ECPAT) in 
which counselors visit teenage girls in shelters once a week 
to ensure they do not become trafficking victims.  In 
addition, the MOI initiated a new campaign in 2004 to educate 
the public about the penalties of violating the Statute for 
Prevention of Child and Juvenile Sex Trading.  The campaign 
includes posting advertisements on public buses, sponsoring 
awareness programs on the radio, and holding public forums. 
 
22 E. (SBU) Is the government able to support prevention 
programs? 
 
Yes, the government provides financial support for NGOs 
involved in women's rights issues and works with NGOs to 
raise public awareness of sexual trafficking.  From 1999 
through 2001, the government provided NT $100 million 
(US $3 million) to the umbrella organization Foundation of 
Women's Rights Promotion and Development (WRP), which in turn 
supports local NGOs (see question 22 F).  At the end of 2004, 
the LY approved a budget of NT $3 billion (US $100 million) 
to help WRP fund programs to help mainland and foreign 
spouses adjust to living in Taiwan and prevent them from 
becoming trafficking victims.  In November 2003, President 
Chen Shui-bian, along with the Ministry of Education 
Childrn's Bureau Director, shot a public television 
advertisement on "Internet Content Safety" to raise public 
awareness on the dangers of Internet pornography and on 
the use of the Internet to lure children into the sex trade. 
 
22 F. (SBU) What is the relationship between government 
officials, NGOs, other relevant organizations and other 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  013 OF 026 
 
 
elements of civil society on the trafficking issue? 
 
Government cooperation with NGOs on TIP issues is 
increasing.  In addition to the inter-agency taskforce 
stipulated by the 1995 statute, the Foundation of 
Women's Rights Promotion and Development (WRP) also 
serves as a platform to discuss all women-related 
issues.  The WRP is an NGO funded by the Executive 
Yuan (EY) and is chaired by the Premier and includes 
the ministers of Interior, Education, Justice, 
Personnel Administration, Government Information Office, 
Health, and Labor as well as academics and 
representatives of NGOs.  NGOs praise these two 
inter-agency taskforces for addressing women's and 
children's issues.  As noted in 21 B, the government 
collaborated with NGOs in 2005 to participate in TIP 
conferences and is increasingly working with NGOs to 
refer victims to shelters and provide protection to victims. 
 
22 G. (SBU) Does it monitor immigration and emigration 
patterns 
for evidence of trafficking?  Do law enforcement agencies 
screen for potential trafficking victims along borders? 
 
The Taiwan authorities are very serious about controlling 
their 
Borders and have taken measures in 2005 to address 
immigration 
patterns that support trafficking (see 21 B).  However, 
because of Taiwan's extensive coastline it is difficult to 
cover all borders comprehensively.  The MOI, working through 
the National Police Administration's Criminal Investigation 
Bureau (CIB), the Aviation Police, the Bureau of Immigration, 
and the Entry and Exit Bureau, has the lead on immigration 
control. 
The Entry and Exit Bureau is well-funded, efficient, and 
maintains 
an excellent database that is updated within twenty-four 
hours 
of a person's arrival at any regulated port of entry on 
Taiwan. 
The CIB and Criminal Investigation Division of the Aviation 
Police receive specialized training in combating alien 
smuggling. 
 
The Taiwan authorities are also working to revamp their 
current immigration policy.  In October 2003, the EY 
submitted 
two draft bills, "Plan for the Organization of the National 
Immigration Agency" and "Regulations Governing the 
Organization 
of the National Immigration Agency," to the LY.  The LY 
passed 
the two bills in November 2005 and the revamped Bureau of 
Immigration 
will begin operating in 2006.  The MOI also submitted a draft 
of 
an amended "Immigration Law" to the EY, which approved it and 
forwarded it to the LY in December 2003.  The bill, which is 
aimed 
at increasing the penalty for trafficking, however, is still 
pending in the LY with no clear timeframe of when it might be 
approved. 
 
22 H. (SBU) Is there a mechanism for coordination and 
communication 
between various agencies, internal, international, and 
multilateral on trafficking related matters, such as a 
multi-agency working group or a task force?  Does the 
government have a trafficking in persons working group or 
single point of contact?  Does the government have a public 
corruption task force? 
 
Taiwan has an official mechanism to exchange information at 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  014 OF 026 
 
 
the national level regarding trafficking in persons.  Taiwan 
also has a multi-agency task-force aimed at preventing the 
trafficking of under-age girls.  The 1995 Statue for the 
Prevention of Child and Juvenile Sexual Trafficking created 
an 
interagency taskforce composed of the ministries of Interior, 
Justice, Defense, Economic Affairs, Transportation, 
Education, 
the Department of Health, the Mainland Affairs Council, and 
the 
Council of Labor Affairs.  Together with key NGOs, this task 
force 
monitors implementation of the 1995 statute and provides 
guidance 
to member agencies through semi-annual written reports.  In 
addition to the inter-agency taskforce stipulated by the 1995 
statute, the Foundation of Women's Rights Promotion and 
Development (WRP) also serves as a platform to discuss all 
women-related issues.  The WRP is an NGO funded by the 
Executive Yuan (EY) and is chaired by the Premier and 
includes the ministers of Interior, Education, Justice, 
Personnel Administration, Government Information Office, 
Health, and Labor as well as academics and representatives of 
NGOs. 
 
22 I. (SBU) Does the government coordinate with or 
participate in multinational or international working groups 
or efforts to prevent, monitor, or control trafficking? 
 
Due to Taiwan's isolated international status, Taiwan law 
enforcement agencies are unable to participants in most 
international organizations or multinational working groups. 
However, the Taiwan authorities cooperate extensively with 
the 
U.S. (with AIT, for example, on police training for immigrant 
screening 
of PRC Spouses, and with the Department of Homeland Security, 
DHS), 
and other destination countries such as Canada and Australia 
on 
alien smuggling.  In addition to planeside double-checks of 
passengers boarding flights to the U.S., the Aviation Police 
regularly 
contact AIT and other representative offices when they 
intercept 
suspicious travelers and documents at ports of entry and 
exit.  As a 
result, intercepts of PRC and other illegal immigrants in the 
U.S., 
Canada, Australia, and other countries with direct flights 
from Taiwan 
has fallen dramatically in the past three years.  As part of 
the 
proposed new Immigration Law, in May 2003 the MOI invited 
foreign, 
domestic law enforcement, and airline representatives from 14 
countries 
to participate in an inaugural Seminar on the Prevention of 
Illegal 
Immigration, at which the Taiwan authorities emphasized their 
commitment 
to greater international cooperation in combating all forms 
of 
transnational human smuggling, including trafficking in 
persons. 
 
22 J. (SBU) Does the government have a national plan of 
action to address trafficking in persons?  If so, which 
agencies were involved in developing it?  Were NGOs consulted 
in the process?  What steps has the government taken to 
disseminate the action plan? 
 
Taiwan does not have a national plan of action to deal with 
trafficking in persons beyond under-age victims.  Individual 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  015 OF 026 
 
 
departments and bureaus work to address the problem of 
trafficking 
and try to coordinate their actions.  Because Taiwan views 
itself 
predominantly as a transit and destination point for 
internationally trafficked persons, most of its 
anti-trafficking 
efforts are aimed at stemming smuggling and illegal 
immigration. 
According to the MOI, Taiwan has formulated a comprehensive 
policy, 
legislation, and implementation plan in response to the 
"complicated 
entry, exit and immigration issues resulting from the human 
inflow 
and incoming immigrants."  On the policy front, the MOI 
invited 
experts and scholars to study and discuss the "Guidance for 
the 
Nation's Current Immigration Policy."  Designed in accordance 
with 
the principles of proactively guiding and assisting new 
immigrants and 
safeguarding illegal immigrant's human rights, the MOI 
submitted the "Guidance" to the EY for approval in November 
¶2003.  The "Guidance" has been implemented and the MOI is 
also drafting an Immigration Policy White Paper to serve as 
the basis for the government's immigration policy that was 
passed in 
November 2005.  The government has approved an National 
Immigration 
Agency to control cross-Strait migration, to prevent 
international 
terrorism, to promote administrative efficiency, to maintain 
national security, and to prevent human smuggling.  The "Plan 
for 
the Organization of the National Immigration Agency of the 
Ministry 
of the Interior" is scheduled to go into effect in 2006. 
 
On the legislative front, the EY submitted the MOI's draft 
amended 
Immigration Law to the LY in December 2003.  The draft law 
contains 
provisions dealing with human smuggling: applications for 
residency by adoption would require that the adoptee and 
adopter 
live together in Taiwan; interviews would be required for 
applications 
for visits or residency by marriage; agents of the National 
Immigration Agency would be permitted to detain temporarily 
suspicious persons when they appear for entry inspections; 
and 
marriage brokers handling applications from mainland China 
and 
Hong Kong and spouses from mainland China and Hong Kong who 
go 
through marriage brokers would be subject to increased 
scrutiny. 
As of February 2006, the bill is still pending in the LY with 
no 
timeframe of when it might be approved. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
23 A. (SBU) Does the country have a law specifically 
prohibiting trafficking in persons -- both trafficking for 
sexual exploitation and trafficking for non-sexual purposes 
(e.g. forced labor)? If so, what is the law?  Does the law(s) 
cover both internal and external (transnational) forms of 
trafficking? 
If not, under what other laws can traffickers be prosecuted? 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  016 OF 026 
 
 
For example, are there laws against slavery or the 
exploitation of 
prostitution by means of coercion or fraud?  Are these laws 
being 
used in trafficking cases?  Are these laws, taken together, 
adequate to cover the full scope of trafficking in persons? 
Please 
provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, including civil 
penalties, (e.g., civil forfeiture laws and laws against 
illegal 
debt). 
 
Taiwan does not have a comprehensive TIP law, but trafficking 
in 
persons is specifically prohibited by the 1995 Statute for 
Prevention of Child and Juvenile Sexual Trafficking and 
Articles 
296 and 296-1 of the Criminal Code.  According to the MOJ, 
there 
were 10 indictments and 5 convictions under these statutes in 
¶2005. 
 
A more stringent law also was enacted in January 2004 aimed 
at cross-Strait smugglers.  This law stipulates that any 
person 
convicted of smuggling Mainland Chinese into Taiwan shall be 
punished 
with a prison term of 3-10 years and fined up to US $150,000. 
 Boat 
owners and crewmembers associated with smuggling are subject 
to a 
prison term up to 3 years and/or a US $30,000-$200,000 fine 
and 
confiscation of boat. 
 
As noted in 21 B, under the leadership of Bi-khim Hsiao, the 
LY in 
December 2005 held a hearing on human trafficking and reached 
a 
bipartisan consensus to add a special anti-trafficking 
provision to 
immigration laws now under deliberation in the LY.  The 
relevant 
LY committee in February 2006 discussed the need for adopting 
formal standards for the protection of trafficking victims 
and 
pledged to work on formal legislation that would address 
victim 
protection. 
 
23 B. (SBU) What are the penalties for traffickers of people 
for sexual exploitation?  For traffickers of people for labor 
exploitation? 
 
Article 24 of the 1995 Statute for Prevention of Child and 
Juvenile Sexual Trafficking states: "Those who use coercion, 
threats, drugs, fraud, hypnotism or other means against the 
victim's will to make a person under the age of eighteen 
become involved in sexual transactions, shall be punished 
with imprisonment of at least five years, and coupled with a 
fine of not more than NT $2 million (US $57,100).  Those who 
intend to make a profit by committing this crime shall be 
punished with imprisonment of not less than seven years, 
coupled with a fine of not more than NT $7 million (US 
$200,000).  Those who habitually commit this crime shall be 
punished with life imprisonment or imprisonment of not less 
than 10 years, coupled with a fine of not more than NT $10 
million (US $285,700)." 
 
Article 25 of the 1995 Statute states: "Those who intend to 
make a profit and involve a person under the age of eighteen 
in sexual transactions by trafficking, pawning or other means 
of the same nature shall be punished with imprisonment of 
not less than five years, coupled with a fine of NT $7 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  017 OF 026 
 
 
million (US $200,000)." 
 
Chapter 26 of the Criminal Code, "Offenses Against Personal 
Liberty" provides an all-encompassing statute against 
trafficking.  Chapter 26, Article 296, "Forcing a Person into 
Slavery," states that "A person who enslaves another or 
places another in a position without freedom similar to 
slavery shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than 
one and not more than seven years." 
 
In 1999, the Criminal Code was revised to include Article 
296-1, "Trafficking in Persons," which states that: 
 
a) They who traffic or pawn a person shall be punished with 
imprisonment of not less than five years, coupled with a fine 
of not more than NT $500,000 (US $14,285). 
 
b) They who intend to force a person into sexual intercourse 
or obscene conduct by committing the crime specified in (a) 
shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than seven 
years, coupled with a fine of not more than NT $500,000. 
 
c) They who use coercion, threats, intimidation, control, 
drugs, hypnotism or other methods that are against the 
victim's will by committing the crime specified in (a) and 
(b) shall be punished with imprisonment increased by one-half 
of the original provision for imprisonment. 
 
d) They who mediate, obtain, harbor, or hide a victim of the 
crimes specified in (a)-(c) or make the victim hide, shall be 
punished with imprisonment of not less than one year and not 
more than seven years, coupled with a fine of not more than 
NT $300,000 (US $8,570). 
 
e) They who habitually commit the crime specified in (a)-(d) 
shall be punished with life imprisonment or imprisonment of 
not less than ten years, coupled with a fine of not more than 
NT $700,000 (US $20,000). 
 
f) They who are public servants and commit the crime 
specified in (a)-(e) shall be punished with imprisonment and 
fine increased by one-half of the original provision for 
imprisonment. 
 
The 1999 revision to the Criminal Code also included the 
addition of Article 231-1, which stipulates: 
 
1) They who intend to profit by using coercion, threats, 
intimidation, control, drugs, hypnotism or other methods that 
are against the victim's will to make a person become 
involved in sexual intercourse or obscene conduct with other 
persons, shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than 
seven years, coupled with a fine of not more than NT $300,000 
(US $8,500). 
 
2) They who mediate, receive or shield the victims of the 
crime specified in (1) or make the victims hide shall be 
punished with imprisonment of not less than one year and not 
more than seven years. 
 
3) They who habitually commit the crimes specified in (1) and 
(2) shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than ten 
years, coupled with a fine of not more than NT $500,000 (US 
$14,280). 
 
4) Public servants who shield others who commit the crimes 
specified in (1)-(3) shall receive punishment increased by 
one-half of the original provision for imprisonment. 
 
23 C. (SBU) What are the penalties for rape or forcible 
sexual assault?  How do they compare to the penalty for sex 
trafficking? 
 
Taiwan's Criminal Code prescribes the following penalties for 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  018 OF 026 
 
 
those found guilty of the offenses of rape, forcible sex, and 
obscene conduct: 
 
Article 221 (normal punishment): Any person who has forced, 
intimidated, or threatened any man or woman into having 
carnal 
relations, or has done so by inducing hypnosis or other means 
against his or her freewill, shall be punished with a prison 
term of not less than three years and not more than 10 years. 
 
An attempt to commit the above offense is punishable. 
 
Article 222 (heavier punishment): A person who has committed 
the above offense under one of the following circumstances 
shall 
be punished with life prison or a prison term of more than 
seven years: 
 
Committing the offense together with one or more persons; 
Committing the offense against anyone under the age of 14; 
Committing the offense by administering drugs; Committing the 
offense and torturing the victim; Committing the offense 
while employed on a means of public transportation; 
Committing the offense after breaking into an inhabited 
building or vessel; Committing the offense with the help of 
weapon(s). 
 
Article 224 (normal punishment): A person who has forced, 
intimidated, or threatened any man or woman into committing 
an indecent act, or has done so by inducing hypnosis or other 
means against his or her freewill, shall be punished with a 
prison term of not less than six months and not more than 
five years. 
 
Article 224 (Section 1) (offenses subject to heavier 
punishment): Any person who has done so under one of 
the circumstances prescribed in Article 222 shall be 
punished with a prison term of not less than three 
years and no more than 10 years. 
 
Article 225 (committing the offense by taking advantage of 
the victim's mental or physical disabilities or incapacity): 
Any person who has committed the offense of rape against any 
man or woman by taking advantage of his or her mental or 
physical disabilities or incapacity shall be punished with a 
prison term of more than three years and less than 10 years. 
Any person who has committed an indecent act against any man 
or woman by taking advantage of his or her mental 
disabilities or incapacity shall be punished with a prison 
term of more than six months but less than five years.  Any 
attempt to commit the above offense is punishable. 
 
Article 226 (heavier punishment): Any person who has 
committed rape or has committed an indecent act, which has 
resulted in the death or his or her victim, shall be 
punished with life in prison or a prison term of more 
than 10 years.  A person who injures his or her victim 
while committing the offense shall be punished with a 
prison term of more than 10 years.  The defendant shall be 
sentenced to a prison term of more than 10 years if a victim 
commits suicide or injures himself due to her sense of shame. 
 
Article 226 (Section 1) (multiple offenses): Any person who 
has 
committed one of the offenses specified in Article 221-225 
and 
has intentionally killed his or her victim shall be punished 
with death or life in prison.  Any person who has committed 
rape or has committed an indecent-act, and has purposely 
injured 
his or her victim shall be punished with life in prison or a 
prison term of more than 10 years. 
 
Article 227: Any person who has carnal relations with any 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  019 OF 026 
 
 
male or 
female person under the age of 14 shall be punished with a 
prison 
term of not less than three years and not more than 10 years. 
 
Any person who commits an indecent act against a male or 
female person under the age of 14 shall be punished with a 
prison term of not less than six months and not more than 
five years.  Any person who has carnal relations with any 
male or female person aged 14-16 shall be punished with a 
prison term of less than seven years.  Any person who commits 
an indecent act against a male or female person aged 14-16 
shall be punished with a prison term of not more than three 
years.  Any attempt to commit any of the above offenses is 
punishable. 
 
Article 227 (Section 1) (lighter punishment for the offender 
under the age of 18): An offender who is under the age of 18 
may have his punishment reduced or commuted. 
 
Article 228: Any person who has committed rape against anyone 
under his jurisdiction at an institution or facility shall be 
punished with a prison term of not less than six months and 
not 
more than five years.  Any person who has committed an 
indecent 
act against anyone under his jurisdiction shall be punished 
with a prison term of not more than three years. 
 
Article 229 (committing the offense by cheating): Any person 
who 
by fraudulent means induces a person to mistake him or her 
for a 
spouse and then has carnal relations with him or her shall be 
punished with a prison term of not less than three years and 
not more than 10 years.  An attempt to commit the above 
offense 
is punishable. 
 
Article 229 (Section 1) (indictment upon request): Any person 
who 
has committed rape against his or her spouse, or any person 
who has 
committed the offense before reaching the age of 18, shall be 
indicted by the prosecutor upon receiving a request from the 
victim. 
The penalties for trafficking are at least as heavy if not 
heavier 
than the penalties for rape and forcible sexual assault. 
 
23 D. (SBU) Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? 
Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute 
criminalized? 
Are the activities of the brothel owner/operator, clients, 
pimps, 
and enforcers criminalized?  Are these laws enforced?  If 
prostitution is legal and regulated, what is the legal 
minimum 
age for this activity?  Note that in many countries with 
federalist 
systems, prostitution laws may be covered by state, local, 
and 
provincial authorities. 
 
According to Article 80 of the Social Order Maintenance Law 
(passed in 1991), anyone found to have traded sex for a 
reward financial or otherwise shall be punished with three 
days in custody, or a fine of no more than NT $30,000 US $910 
Brothel owners, pimps, enforcers are also subject to 
punishment prescribed in Article 231 and 232 of the Criminal 
Code. 
 
The government published a set of (administrative) measures 
governing prostitutes in 1954, but those measures were 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  020 OF 026 
 
 
revoked in 1997.  According to a January 17, 2004 China Times 
report, the Interior Ministry began studying the possibility 
of decriminalizing prostitution by revising concerned laws. 
However, this proposal has not been formally discussed. 
There is no new information on this proposal.  According to 
local NGOs, the MOI has not taken any actions on this 
proposal. 
 
23 E. (SBU) Has the Government prosecuted any cases against 
traffickers?  If so, provide numbers of arrests, indictments, 
convictions, and sentences, including details on plea 
bargains and fines, if relevant and available.  Are the 
traffickers serving the time sentenced?  If no, why not? 
Please indicate whether the government can provide this 
information, and if not, why not? 
 
In 2005, 94 persons were indicted and 8 were convicted under 
Article 296, 296-1, and 231-1 of the Criminal Code.  As of 
November 2005, no one had been indicted or convicted under 
Article 
25 of the 1995 Statute for Prevention of Child and Juvenile 
Sexual 
Trafficking, but 15 persons were indicted and 3 convicted 
under 
Article 24 of the 1995 Statute, and 130 persons were indicted 
and 96 convicted under Article 23 of the 1995 Statute. 
 
In January 2005, a Taiwanese trafficker was executed after he 
was sentenced to death in 2004 on murder charges after 
pushing illegal Chinese immigrants into the sea that resulted 
in the death of six women while he tried to escape from 
Taiwan's Coast Guard in August 2003. 
 
23 F. (SBU) Is there any information or reports of who is 
behind the trafficking?  For example, are the traffickers 
freelance operators, small crime groups, and/or large 
international organized crime syndicates?  Are employment, 
travel and tourism agencies or marriage brokers fronting for 
traffickers or crime groups to traffic individuals?  Are 
government officials involved?  Are there any reports of 
where profits from trafficking in persons are being 
channeled?  (e.g. armed groups, terrorist organizations, 
judges, banks, etc.) 
 
Trafficking of PRC nationals into Taiwan is largely 
controlled by smugglers (snakeheads) affiliated with 
organized 
crime syndicates of varying sizes and sophistication.  There 
are also instances of freelance Taiwanese traffickers, with 
the connivance of marriage brokers, arranging fake marriages 
with PRC and Vietnamese women, who become victims of 
trafficking 
upon arrival in Taiwan.  Contract labor brokers are also 
responsible for much of the Labor trafficking in Taiwan. 
There are no clear numbers to indicate what percentage of 
victims are trafficked into Taiwan by what means.  There are 
no official reports of government involvement in trafficking, 
although NGOs have accused local police officials of 
cooperating 
with marriage and labor brokers to block trafficking 
investigations. 
There is also no indication of where profits from trafficking 
are being channeled. 
 
23 G. (SBU) Does the government actively investigate cases of 
trafficking?  (Again, the focus should be on trafficking 
cases versus migrant smuggling cases.)  Does the government 
use active investigative techniques in trafficking in persons 
investigations?  To the extent possible under domestic law, 
are techniques such as electronic surveillance, undercover 
operations, and mitigated punishment or immunity for 
cooperating suspects used by the government?  Does the 
criminal procedure code or other laws prohibit the police 
from engaging in covert operations? 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  021 OF 026 
 
 
 
According to the MOI, in order to prevent human trafficking 
or illegal immigration, the National Police Administration 
(NPA) takes the following approach to strengthen 
investigations: 
 
a) When an alien is discovered to be engaged in prostitution 
or illegal work, the NPA will conduct in-depth investigation 
to find the brokerage group or person behind the scheme. 
 
b) All police departments, in conjunction with other related 
agencies, will implement various offensive operations such as 
raids and patrols on entertainment establishments and hotels 
in known red light districts. 
 
c) The NPA will deploy intelligence networks and human 
resources as well as strengthen coordination with other law 
enforcement agencies.  In order to acquire security 
intelligence, the NPA will conduct direct and indirect checks 
on persons who have a history or a tendency of brokering 
deals for or hiring illegal immigrants. 
 
d) The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) will continue to 
investigate cases involving women who have been deceived into 
going to Japan and collect intelligence on similar cases 
through international cooperation.  The CIB will publish the 
collected information in the media in a timely manner in 
order to remind Taiwan women not to be deceived again and 
prevent illegal groups from deceiving Taiwan women into going 
to Japan to engage in an illicit trade. 
 
e) The National Immigration Agency will continue to 
strengthen the interview mechanism used on spouses from 
mainland China.  Since September 2003 the National 
Immigration Agency has had an interview mechanism to 
detect fraudulent cross-Strait marriages and in 2005 
began conducting individual interviews to scrutinize 
marriages with Vietnamese women. 
 
f) The Aviation Police Bureau will continue to strengthen 
training of inspectors to heighten their ability to detect 
counterfeit documents.  In order to prevent human trafficking 
rings from providing fraudulent documents to people seeking 
to enter Taiwan or other countries illegally, the Aviation 
Police Bureau will also implement a Snake Hunting Operation 
that targets transfer passengers on airlines along known 
smuggling-prone routes to the United States, Canada, New 
Zealand, and Australia. 
 
g) The foreign affairs police departments of county and city 
police agencies will increase control over aliens.  The NPA 
will request foreign police officers to implement checks on 
alien spouses involved in sham marriages or forced into 
prostitution by their local husbands.  The results of the 
checks will be reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
with recommendations for the rejection or acceptance of 
future visa or residency applications. 
 
23 H. (SBU) Does the government provide any specialized 
training for government officials in how to recognize, 
investigate, and prosecute instances of trafficking? 
 
Yes, the government now provides specialized training for 
government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and 
prosecute instances of trafficking. 
 
23 I. (SBU) Does the government cooperate with other 
governments in the investigation and prosecution of 
trafficking cases?  If possible, can post provide the number 
of cooperative international investigations on trafficking? 
The government has stated its commitment to pursue global 
cooperation with the police and immigration agencies of other 
countries to combat transnational human trafficking. 
 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  022 OF 026 
 
 
Taiwan signed with the U.S. an Agreement on Mutual Legal 
Assistance in Criminal Matters on March 26, 2002.  Since the 
signing of the agreement, U.S. and Taiwan law enforcement 
agencies have increased their cooperation in each other's 
jurisdiction, including investigating trafficking cases. 
According to the MOJ, the establishment of regular formal 
cooperation has resulted in a more effective crackdown on 
trafficking and other cross-border crimes.  Since the 
agreement was signed, Taiwan has requested cooperation on two 
cases.  One of the cases resulted in the successful 
indictment of a cross-Strait syndicate for smuggling people 
into the United States. 
 
In response to the August 26, 2003 incident in which six 
mainland Chinese women drowned off the coast of Miaoli county 
after traffickers threw 26 women off two speed boats being 
pursued by the coast guard, the National Police 
Administration 
organized a cross-Strait crime prevention seminar that 
focused 
on human trafficking at the Taiwan Central Police University 
in 
September 2003.  During the year, Taiwan and PRC authorities 
agreed for the first time to initiate dialogue on combating 
trafficking. 
 
The local media reported in January 2003 that police in 
Taiwan and China cooperated to rescue a woman who was 
kidnapped by gangsters in China and trafficked to Taipei to 
work without compensation as a prostitute.  The woman 
contacted her father in China who reported the situation to 
the Chinese police who then contacted its Taipei counterparts. 
 
In addition, from November 2003 to May 2004, Taiwan's Coast 
Guard set up a temporary/trial trafficking syndicate task 
force in cooperation with the PRC Coast Guard. 
 
23 J. (SBU) Does the government extradite persons who are 
charged with trafficking in other countries?  If so, can post 
provide the number of traffickers extradited?  Does the 
government extradite its own nationals charged with such 
offenses?  If not, is the government prohibited by law form 
extraditing its own nationals?  If so, what is the government 
doing to modify its laws to permit the extradition of its own 
nationals? 
 
Under the Kinmen Accord of 1990, Taiwan and Mainland China 
extradite convicted and suspected criminals, as well as 
illegal immigrants, to each other's jurisdiction.  The lack 
of formal diplomatic relations with other countries from 
which persons are trafficked hinders Taiwan's ability to 
extradite persons who are charged with trafficking. 
 
23 K. (SBU) Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? 
If so, please explain in detail. 
 
There is no evidence of widespread government involvement in 
or tolerance of trafficking in persons.  NGOs report that 
the level of government competency and awareness of TIP 
at the local level is uneven.  NGOs also claim that some 
local officials are corrupt and work with brokers to turn a 
blind eye to trafficking.  Incidents of Taiwan authorities 
supporting trafficking directly or indirectly are rare, but 
incidents do occur.  On February 5, 2005 a police officer in 
Taichung City was sentenced to 11 years in prison for 
accepting bribes from a PRC prostitution ring to cover up 
its operations. 
 
23 L. (SBU) If government officials are involved in 
trafficking, what steps has the government taken to end such 
participation?  Have any government officials been prosecuted 
for involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related 
corruption?  Have any been convicted?  What actual sentence 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  023 OF 026 
 
 
was imposed?  Please provide specific numbers, if available. 
 
With the exception of the corruption case detailed in 23 K, 
there has been no reported or known case of government 
officials directly involved in trafficking, and there has 
been no prosecution of government officials involved in 
trafficking.  However, the law provides for harsher 
penalties for official involvement. 
 
23 M. (SBU) If the country has an identified child sex 
tourism problem (as source or destination), how many foreign 
pedophiles has the government prosecuted or 
deported/extradited to their country of origin?  Does the 
country,s child sexual abuse laws have extraterritorial 
coverage (like the U.S. PROTECT Act)? 
 
Taiwan does not have an identified child sex tourism problem 
 
23 N. (SBU) Has the government signed, ratified, and/or taken 
steps to implement the following international instruments? 
Please provide the date of signature/ratification if 
appropriate. 
 
--ILO Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate 
action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor. 
 
--ILO Convention 29 and 105 on forced or compulsory labor. 
 
--The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of 
the Child (CRC) on the sale of children, child prostitution, 
and child pornography. 
 
--The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in 
Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN 
Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. 
 
As a non-UN member, Taiwan is unable to become a party to the 
1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  However, the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in 1995 that it would 
respect the "spirit and principles" of the Convention.  In 
1999, a Child Welfare Bureau was established within the 
Ministry of Interior to bolster Taiwan's ability to implement 
the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to coordinate 
with NGOs.  In April 2001, President Chen reiterated that 
Taiwan would abide by the Convention. 
 
For the same reasons, Taiwan is also unable to become a party 
to the ILO Conventions 29, 105, 182 the UN Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime, and the Protocol to Prevent, 
Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, but the 
authorities make every effort to abide by the principles of 
those Conventions and Protocols. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Protection and Assistance to Victims 
------------------------------------ 
 
24 A. (SBU) Does the government assist victims, for example, 
by providing temporary to permanent residency status, relief 
from deportation, shelter and access to legal, medical and 
psychological services?  If so, please explain.  Does the 
country have victim care and victim health care facilities? 
If so, can post provide the number of victims placed in these 
care facilities? 
 
Presently there are two detention centers in Hsinchu and Ilan 
counties in northern Taiwan accommodating illegal female 
immigrants from Mainland China, and a third center in Sanhsia 
in Taipei County housing victims from other countries, such 
as Vietnam and Cambodia.  Victims are transferred to those 
centers after they are arrested by local police with the 
consent of district prosecutors for illegal entries.  NGOs 
report that some victims are not sent to the detention 
centers 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  024 OF 026 
 
 
and remain in local jails while they provide testimony to 
prosecute traffickers.  At the detention centers victims 
are given temporary shelter, medical, and counseling services 
before they are sent back to their home countries.  As of 
February 2006, there were 1063 females detained in the 
Hsinchu 
Center and 493 males and 913 females detained at the Ilan 
Center.  The government has designated public hospitals in 
the neighborhood to send doctors to see patients at those 
centers a few times a week.  Those doctors may suggest 
transferring certain patients to their hospitals for further 
treatment if necessary.  Those victims are tested for 
HIV/AIDS and other venereal diseases upon their arrival at 
the centers.  According to local press reports, about one 
third of them suffered from various kinds of venereal 
diseases. 
 
While the government provides adequate short term shelter at 
the detention centers, the PRC's refusal to accept 
repatriation of its citizens has resulted in crowded 
conditions and stays of over one year for many of the women 
detained.  In addition, a G/TIP visit in November 2004 to the 
Hsinchu Detention Center found some areas of concern 
regarding protection afforded trafficking victims.  G/TIP 
encouraged authorities to take steps to identify trafficking 
victims among illegal immigrants and provide them separate 
levels of care and protection.  In response to G/TIP 
concerns, 
Taiwan has taken steps to address concerns raised by G/TIP. 
For more information see question 21 B which details changes 
made by authorities in 2005. 
 
24 B. (SBU) Does the government provide funding or other 
forms of support to foreign or domestic NGOs for services to 
victims?  Please explain. 
 
The government provides financial support for NGOs involved 
in women's rights issues and works with NGOs to raise public 
awareness of the sexual trafficking problems.  From 
1999-2001, the government provided NT $100 million (US $3 
million) to the umbrella organization Foundation of Women's 
Rights Promotion and Development (WRP), which in turn 
supports local NGOs.  At the end of 2004, the LY approved a 
budget of NT $3 billion (US $100 million) to help the WRP 
finance programs to help mainland and foreign spouses adjust 
to living in Taiwan and prevent them from becoming 
trafficking 
victims.  The government also supports NGOs by allowing them 
direct access to detention centers and encouraging the NGOs 
to work with the women and provide care.  Several civic 
organizations send representatives to visit victims at 
detention 
centers on a weekly basis to offer counseling and other 
services. 
Among them are the Garden of Hope Foundation, End Child 
Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking (ECPAT) Taiwan, 
Women's 
Rescue Foundation, as well as some Catholic and Buddhist 
groups 
dedicated to social services.  To carry out their work, these 
organizations apply for funds from the Foundation for the 
Promotion of Women's Rights and Interests, a non-profit 
foundation 
operated and financed by the EY. 
 
24 C. (SBU) Is there a screening and referral process in 
place, when appropriate, to transfer victims detained, 
arrested or placed in protective custody by law enforcement 
authorities to NGOs that provide short or long-term care? 
 
Presently all victims are required to stay at the detention 
Centers or government run or NGO shelters, where they receive 
medical and other services from the Taiwan authorities until 
they leave Taiwan.  In 2005 the government instituted TIP 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  025 OF 026 
 
 
screening procedures to identify victims and provide them 
protection (see 21 B).  NGOs in Taiwan are not involved in 
the 
provision of medical services.  NGOS are working with Taiwan 
authorities to increase the level of access permitted to work 
with victims and have been granted additional time with the 
women. 
In addition, the government in 2005 took steps to work more 
closely with NGOs to allow some victims to be moved to NGO 
run 
shelters for care and treatment. 
 
24 D. (SBU) Are the rights of victims respected, or are 
victims also treated as criminals?  Are victims detained, 
jailed, or deported?  If detained or jailed, for how long? 
Are victims fined?  Are victims prosecuted for violations of 
other laws, such as those governing immigration or 
prostitution? 
 
The victims' basic human rights are protected, and the 
authorities give priority to victims who are under age, 
pregnant, or have given birth.  However, victims are deprived 
of their personal freedom once they are sent to the detention 
centers to wait for deportation.  Detainees are required to 
stay in the centers until they leave Taiwan.  Before 
releasing detainees, the Taiwan authorities require their 
home countries to verify their identities.  On average, a 
Mainland Chinese detainee may have to stay in one of those 
centers for six months to one year while waiting for the PRC 
authorities to verify their identities.  In practice the 
victims are usually not prosecuted for prostitution or other 
minor offenses, as those victims may have to stay in the 
centers longer than the time they may have to serve for those 
offenses.  For those victims who possess legal travel papers 
and return trip tickets, they may leave Taiwan almost 
immediately, if they are caught for illegal entries and not 
involved in other more serious crimes. 
 
24 E. (SBU) Does the government encourage victims to assist 
in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking?  May 
victims file civil suits or seek legal action against the 
traffickers?  Does anyone impede the victims' access to such 
legal redress?  If a victim is a material witness in a court 
case against the former employer, is the victim permitted to 
obtain other employment or to leave the country?  Is there a 
victim restitution program? 
 
The district prosecutors may determine if it is necessary to 
ask victims to stay in Taiwan and help with their 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking.  It is rare for 
victims to file civil suits or seek legal actions against the 
traffickers by themselves.  Once they are arrested, most of 
the victims wish to leave Taiwan as soon as possible, and few 
of them wish to stay or take legal action against their 
traffickers or former employers.  Those victims are not 
allowed to obtain other employment or leave the country while 
serving as witnesses in court cases.  Taiwan and China have 
signed a repatriation agreement, but a victim restitution 
program is yet to be discussed.  Taiwan's Law for the 
Protection of Crime Victims, which prescribes compensations 
for victims, does not apply to people from other countries, 
including China.  For this reason, the TWRF is drafting and 
advocating for a law similar to the U.S. Victims of 
Trafficking 
and Violence Protection Act 2000, but the group could not say 
when this legislation will be completed. 
 
24 F. (SBU) What kind of protection is the government able to 
provide for victims and witnesses?  Does it provide these 
protections in practice?  What type of shelter or services 
does the government provide?  Does it provide shelter or any 
other benefits to victims for housing or other resources in 
order to aid the victims in rebuilding their lives?  Where 
are 
 
TAIPEI 00000642  026 OF 026 
 
 
child victims placed (e.g. in shelters, foster-care type 
systems or juvenile justice detention centers)? 
 
The victims are placed in protective custody at detention 
Centers or in local jails while serving as witnesses in 
court cases.  The government has a witness protection law 
that 
protects women from retaliation and helps encourage their 
cooperation in investigating trafficking rings.  The 
government 
is also increasingly working with NGOs to allow victims to 
stay in shelters while victims cooperate with authorities to 
prosecute traffickers or await repatriation back to their 
homes. 
 
24 G. (SBU) Does the government provide any specialized 
training for government officials in recognizing trafficking 
and in the provision of assistance to trafficked victims, 
including the special needs of trafficked children?  Does the 
government provide training on protection and assistance to 
its embassies and consulates in foreign countries that are 
destination or transit countries?  Does it urge those 
embassies and consulates to develop ongoing relationships 
with NGOs that serve trafficked victims? 
 
The government does provide specialized training to public 
prosecutors, social workers, and law enforcement officials 
who deal with trafficking issues.  There is also an officer 
assigned to Taiwan's representative office in Japan to work 
with Japanese authorities to return trafficking victims back 
to Taiwan.  Taiwan authorities work closely with NGOs.  In 
addition to providing counseling services, the Garden of Hope 
and other organizations are in constant contact with law 
enforcement units to organize a system to recognize 
trafficking and provide assistance to trafficked victims 
based on the model adopted by Interpol and other 
international welfare organizations.  Children born to 
victims during they stay in Taiwan received adequate care 
while they are in Taiwan but are required to leave Taiwan 
with their parents.  There is no a system in Taiwan through 
which these children may remain in Taiwan or be adopted by 
local people. 
 
24 H. (SBU) Does the government provide assistance, such as 
medical aid, shelter, or financial help, to its repatriated 
nationals who are victims of trafficking? 
 
In 2005, the government allocated a budget of NT $99 million 
(US $3.1 million) for the three detention centers in Hsinchu, 
Ilan, and Taipei Counties.  The cost of caring for each 
victim, including boarding and medical care, was about NT 
$44,000 (US $1364) a year. 
 
24 I. (SBU) Which international organizations or NGOs, if 
any, 
work with trafficking victims? What type of services do they 
provide?  What sort of cooperation do they receive from local 
authorities? 
 
The Garden of Hope Foundation, End Child Prostitution, 
Pornography and Trafficking (ECPAT) Taiwan, the Taipei 
Women,s Rescue Foundation (TWRF) and several religious 
organizations in Taiwan sent their workers to visit 
victims at those centers on a weekly basis to provide 
counseling and help them plan for their future after 
returning to their home countries.  These organizations 
apply to the Executive Yuan's Foundation for the Promotion 
of Women's Rights and Interests to fund their work. 
For Southeast Asian victims, the Vietnamese Migrant 
Workers and Brides Office (VMWBO) is actively working 
with victims and runs three shelters. 
 
 
KEEGAN