Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

The US Department of State on Thursday listed Taiwan in tier 1 in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report for the 11th year in a row. Taiwan’s consistently high ranking in the report demonstrates that the nation’s authorities take trafficking seriously and have been effective in combating it.

However, major trafficking-related arrests occur annually, meaning that preventive measures must be improved. Perhaps punishments are too lenient or perpetrators feel that the financial rewards from their actions outweigh the risks. It could also be that victims are unaware of the danger when, for example, they approach recruiters in their home country as they seek to travel for work or study.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators push through a police line at the entrance to the legislative chamber in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times

All legislative caucuses have said that they are open to discussing naming issues concerning the national carrier China Airlines (CAL) and the nation’s passport cover at cross-caucus negotiations today to set the agenda for the next provisional legislative session.