In March 2025, investigative journalist Peter Bengtsen published a report, titled “Speed Up! Addressing forced labor risks in Taiwan’s car, bicycle and electronics industries”, which compiles cases of human rights abuses impacting migrant workers in factories in Taiwan. The report covers Taiwan’s automotive, electronics and bicycle industries.

The report seeks to highlight connections between consumers worldwide and the conditions migrants are subjected in Taiwan.

The cases are taken from investigations conducted between 2022 and 2025, including interviews with around 200 workers. Some of the cases have already been published alongside company responses to those cases, including alleged abuses linked to Chin Poon Industrial, Shinkong Synthetic Fibers, UD Electronic, Lioho Machine Works, Kuozui Motors, Hwa Hsia Glass, Giant, Merida Bikes, Maxxis, and at Taoyuan International Airport. All investors, buyers and manufacturers named in these cases were reached for comment by the journalist.

The report also highlights new cases not published elsewhere, including allegations of:

• Debt bondage risks due to recruitment fee charging impacting Filipino workers an Iron Force Industrial car parts factory in Nantou county. Iron Force Industrial allegedly supplies to ZF, and Vanguard, Dimensional and Norges Bank Investment Management allegedly invest in Iron Force Industrial. ZF responded to the journalist, saying the allegations will be investigated.
• Debt bondage risks due to recruitment fee charging, alongside alleged intimidation and threats at electronics and medical optics manufacturer Pegavision, impacting Vietnamese and Filipino workers. The report says Pegavision is owned by Pegatron, and that ASUStek, Vanguard, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Dimensional and Norges Bank Investment Management invest in Pegatron. Neither Pegatron nor Pegavision responded to the journalist; in its response to BHRC, ASUS said it has no connection to Pegatron and it became a separate entity from Pegatron in 2008.
• Debt bondage risks due to recruitment fee charging, alongside alleged intimidation and threats at electronics manufacturer, Topview, impacting Vietnamese workers. Topview allegedly supplies to Motorola Solutions, who told the journalist that suppliers must prohibit recruitment fee charging.
• Abusive living conditions, alongside debt bondage risks due to recruitment fee charging and intimidation at electronics manufacturer, Axiomtek, impacting Vietnamese workers. Axiomtek allegedly supplies to Axis Technologies and Alltronix; and Advantech, Weide and Dimensional allegedly invest in Axiomtek.

The journalist reached out to all manufacturers and buyers linked to new cases in the report. The report emphasizes that in some cases, buyers and suppliers engaged in the remediation process. However, it also calls for everyone to ‘speed up’, including by implementing proper prevention measures, not just remediation.

In December, the Business & Human Rights Centre invited investors linked to the new cases of abuse (Advantech, Weide, Dimensional, ASUStek, Vanguard, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley and Norges Bank Investment Management) to respond to the allegations of labour rights abuse at investee companies in Taiwan; disclose steps they have taken and will take to use their leverage to ensure timely remediation for the impacted workers; and disclose any human rights due diligence they take to inform their investment decisions, including steps they take to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for adverse impacts by investee companies or in the supply chain of investee companies.

Responses from ASUStek, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley and Norges Bank Investment Management can be read in full below. The other investors did not respond.

BHRC could not identify a website presence for Weide to invite a response to the allegations; if a response is received in the future, this page will be updated accordingly.