TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A labor broker was indicted for bringing two migrant caregivers to Taiwan to pick betel nut in Chiayi.
A couple reportedly needed help picking betel nut on their farm. The broker, surnamed Pei (裴), hired two male migrant workers from the Philippines under the pretext of being caregivers.
As instructed by the broker, the husband pretended to suffer from dementia to get a disability certificate from the hospital, per LTN. Pei applied for permission from the Ministry of Labor to recruit two caregivers for the husband's mother.
In Taiwan, the two migrant workers worked one month before work on the farm became too difficult. They called Taiwan's 1955 hotline for assistance, which led the labor ministry to investigate.
Chiayi District Prosecutors Office indicted the broker for breaking the Employment Service Act. They said this was not a case of human trafficking since the workers' freedom was not restricted.
The migrant caregivers were reportedly informed they would work on the betel nut farm before coming to Taiwan. Each worker’s monthly salary was NT$27,000 (US$848), but they had to pay a NT$15,000 brokerage fee.
