Taiwan has, for the fourteenth year in a row, been placed in the top tier of countries addressing human trafficking by the U.S. Department of State. The State Department released the results of the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report on Thursday local time . Taiwan once again retained its Tier 1 status in the report from a list of more than 180 participating countries and regions worldwide.
According to the report, Tier 1 countries are those which “demonstrate appreciable progress each year in combating trafficking” according to 10 specific criterias. The report adds that Taiwan deserves recognition for its efforts despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity.
In a written statement released on Friday, Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) says that the Executive Yuan attaches great importance to concerns brought up by the U.S. and civil groups. The concerns include those related to migrant fishermen labor rights and human trafficking incidents involving Taiwanese in Cambodia, among others. Lin says that efforts will be further strengthened with the implementation of the "Fisheries and Human Rights Action Plan" and "Cambodia Human Trafficking Task Force". Both programs integrate resources across ministries and promote cooperation in transnational law enforcement.
Lin also points out that previous anti-trafficking plans passed this year include measures such as a third-party inspection mechanism at foreign ports. Lin says the mechanism will improve inspection capacity and the participation of social workers and professionals in identifying human trafficking victims.