Migrant worker tracked down for abandoning baby in Taiwan
- 5 years ago
NEW TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN — A female Vietnamese factory worker in Taiwan was tracked down by police after a man found her newborn baby on the side of a road last Wednesday, reports Asia Times.
The baby was found by a 56-year-old Taiwanese man who posted a photo of the newborn girl on a Taiwanese online forum.
On the post, the man explains that he was on his way to play Pokemon Go with friends when he noticed a moving box which he assumed was a kitten. When taking a closer look he found it was, in fact, a baby. He contacted the police soon after.
According to Asia Times, the police took the child to a hospital for treatment of mild hypothermia. They also tracked down the mother, a 20-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker who works at a factory in New Taipei City. The father had to return to Vietnam earlier this year.
She told authorities that her lack of financial stability drove her to abandon her baby, adding that she hid her pregnancy for fear of losing her job or being deported. The woman is now barred from leaving Taiwan.
Lennon Wong, leader of Serve the People Association, an NGO that advocates migrant worker rights in Taiwan, told TomoNews that 'theoretically' female migrant workers in factories have the same rights as Taiwanese female workers, however, migrant workers do not have maternity rights.
According to the Labor Standard Act, the minimum wage for migrant factory workers and inshore fishermen is NT23,100, roughly $750. Most migrant workers send a large portion of their salaries to their families back home and another percentage to their brokers, who help them find a job.
Wong added, "Some migrant workers are lucky enough to hide their pregnancies and give birth, but then they still can't feed and raise their children. Most of them are forced to abandon their child. It's a crime of the system, it's a shame of Taiwan."
The baby was found by a 56-year-old Taiwanese man who posted a photo of the newborn girl on a Taiwanese online forum.
On the post, the man explains that he was on his way to play Pokemon Go with friends when he noticed a moving box which he assumed was a kitten. When taking a closer look he found it was, in fact, a baby. He contacted the police soon after.
According to Asia Times, the police took the child to a hospital for treatment of mild hypothermia. They also tracked down the mother, a 20-year-old Vietnamese migrant worker who works at a factory in New Taipei City. The father had to return to Vietnam earlier this year.
She told authorities that her lack of financial stability drove her to abandon her baby, adding that she hid her pregnancy for fear of losing her job or being deported. The woman is now barred from leaving Taiwan.
Lennon Wong, leader of Serve the People Association, an NGO that advocates migrant worker rights in Taiwan, told TomoNews that 'theoretically' female migrant workers in factories have the same rights as Taiwanese female workers, however, migrant workers do not have maternity rights.
According to the Labor Standard Act, the minimum wage for migrant factory workers and inshore fishermen is NT23,100, roughly $750. Most migrant workers send a large portion of their salaries to their families back home and another percentage to their brokers, who help them find a job.
Wong added, "Some migrant workers are lucky enough to hide their pregnancies and give birth, but then they still can't feed and raise their children. Most of them are forced to abandon their child. It's a crime of the system, it's a shame of Taiwan."