“ENVISIONING MIGRANT WORKER POLICY: TOWARD DIGNITY AND WELL-BEING”

…I’m part of the organisation “Listener,” a legal and public health platform launched in 2020. We aim to connect Taiwan’s legal, mental health, and medical professionals with migrant workers through interpreters…

…Workplace relationships can also be a source of mental and emotional stress. This was evident in 2022 when a Vietnamese student, Lin, contacted me for help after a fellow migrant worker attempted suicide. The worker, Ah Ping, employed at a nursing facility, was experiencing verbal bullying and physical violence by her colleague…

…the employer dismissed the psychiatric diagnosis and pressured Ah Ping to decide between returning home or resuming work…

The Declaration of Alma-Ata…states … “health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and is a fundamental human right.” However, the implementation of this principle is typically shaped by sovereign states’ policies designed to protect their own citizens, which may exclude migrant workers’ health rights…

As post-industrial countries worldwide face similar challenges of ageing societies and declining birth rates, Taiwan’s migrant worker policy must consider what conditions can attract people to stay. These migrant workers are not just labourers; they are individuals with their own abundant life stories…