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What Is Wrong with Forced Labour: Coercion or Exploitation?
Reflections on Taiwan’s Temporary Migrant Worker Scheme
in Innovation in the Social SciencesSearch for other papers by Ya-Wen Yang in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
Taiwan’s temporary migrant worker scheme has been criticised for heightening migrant workers’ risk of forced labour. This article argues that the problem is partly conceptual: the state tends to adopt a narrow understanding of unfree labour and therefore construes its obligations to combat forced labour and human trafficking restrictively. Through a human trafficking case involving Filipino workers, the article contrasts two perspectives: a coercion-centred view focused on formal consent, and an exploitation-centred view that considers structural vulnerability. It critiques the Taiwanese judiciary’s limited approach and compares it with evolving international standards under the International Labour Organization’s Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (C29), which has gradually shifted from protecting consent to enhancing workers’ capabilities. The article also examines forced labour risks in Taiwan through three areas: limited labour law coverage, weak enforcement and restricted job mobility. It concludes that Taiwan’s approach overlooks how coercion and exploitation interact, and that ending forced labour requires addressing unequal legal status among workers.
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| Insgesamt | Letzte 365 Tage | In den letzten 30 Tagen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aufrufe von Kurzbeschreibungen | 168 | 168 | 17 |
| Gesamttextansichten | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF-Downloads | 8 | 8 | 0 |
What Is Wrong with Forced Labour: Coercion or Exploitation?
Reflections on Taiwan’s Temporary Migrant Worker Scheme
in Innovation in the Social SciencesSearch for other papers by Ya-Wen Yang in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Taiwan’s temporary migrant worker scheme has been criticised for heightening migrant workers’ risk of forced labour. This article argues that the problem is partly conceptual: the state tends to adopt a narrow understanding of unfree labour and therefore construes its obligations to combat forced labour and human trafficking restrictively. Through a human trafficking case involving Filipino workers, the article contrasts two perspectives: a coercion-centred view focused on formal consent, and an exploitation-centred view that considers structural vulnerability. It critiques the Taiwanese judiciary’s limited approach and compares it with evolving international standards under the International Labour Organization’s Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (C29), which has gradually shifted from protecting consent to enhancing workers’ capabilities. The article also examines forced labour risks in Taiwan through three areas: limited labour law coverage, weak enforcement and restricted job mobility. It concludes that Taiwan’s approach overlooks how coercion and exploitation interact, and that ending forced labour requires addressing unequal legal status among workers.
| Insgesamt | Letzte 365 Tage | In den letzten 30 Tagen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aufrufe von Kurzbeschreibungen | 168 | 168 | 17 |
| Gesamttextansichten | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF-Downloads | 8 | 8 | 0 |
