To highlight World Day of Migrants & Refugees, Fr Peter O’Neill gives a vivid account of a victim of trafficking in Taiwan.
“I was afraid I would die of exhaustion on the Taiwan fishing boat and my corpse would be thrown overboard just like my Indonesian friend”. I was horrified hearing these words from Ascuri as he shared with me his story of abuse at the hands of his Taiwan captain.
Poverty forced Ascuri to leave his wife and two young children at home in Indonesia to work as an international fisherman on a Taiwan fishing boat. His Taiwan captain was barbaric. Whenever he became angry he would always hit the Indonesian fishermen. While at sea for six months they worked up to 16 hours a day and were given little food to eat.
After being traumatized by what happened to his friend, Ascuri hung on for dear life until the boat arrived in Taiwan. He jumped ship and found work picking beetle nuts. He worked 14 hours a day for a mere $1.50AUD per hour, half the Taiwan minimum wage at that time. Like Ascuri, thousands of undocumented migrant workers are slaving away in the agricultural sector of Taiwan picking fruit, beetle nuts and vegetables on far less than the minimum wage.
After only one month of work Ascuri found himself unemployed. Feeling utterly helpless he decided to seek assistance from the Indonesian government office in Taipei to return to Indonesia. Following regulations an officer accompanied Ascuri to the police station to surrender. He was detained at a detention Centre for 4 months while a prosecutor investigated his case of labour trafficking. Once he was recognized as a victim of trafficking the Taiwan immigration referred him to the Hsinchu Catholic Diocese Migrants & Immigrants Service Centre (HMISC – referred to as the Centre) male shelter where I was the supervisor of the shelter and the director of the Centre.
As a victim of trafficking Ascuri had to remain in Taiwan to be a witness in court for the government against the Taiwan captain who was the suspected trafficker. The Centre helped him to obtain a working visa and to find a job at a glass factory. While living at the shelter he went to work every day to earn money for his family. The Centre applied for a lawyer to assist Ascuri with his case. Two years later the judge made the decision that Ascuri was not a victim of labour trafficking. Following the verdict Ascuri was deported back to Indonesia.
Very few traffickers in Taiwan are prosecuted and sentenced to prison. According to the 2016 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, Taiwan authorities identified 278 trafficking victims. Authorities initiated prosecutions against 110 suspected traffickers and only 53 were convicted.
The 103rd World Day of Migrants and Refugees will be commemorated in Australia on the 27th August 2017. This year Pope Francis has chosen the theme, “Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless”. Pope Francis reminds us that, “Migration today ... affects all continents and is growing into a tragic situation of global proportions. Not only does this concern those looking for dignified work or better living conditions, but also men and women, the elderly and children, who are forced to leave their homes in the hope of finding safety, peace and security.” “Among migrants, children constitute the most vulnerable group ... they are invisible and voiceless.”
“We need to become aware that the phenomenon of migration is not unrelated to salvation history, but rather a part of that history,” says Pope Francis. One of God’s commandments is connected to it: “You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Ex 22:21)
HMISC has a shelter for migrant women who are victims of human trafficking and abuse in the work place. After many years of advocacy the government gave permission for the centre to shelter undocumented migrant women with children. Previously they were detained in detention centres. The centre assists them with their documentation before they return home.
In response to Pope Francis’ call for religious congregations to open their doors to refugees, St Columban’s Mission Society in Essendon, Melbourne currently provides accommodation for up to 6 male refugees and a refugee family.
We invite people to celebrate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, East Melbourne on 27th August at 3:00pm.
Fr Peter O’Neill SSC has recently returned to the Columban Mission Centre in Essendon to work as the Columban Peace, Ecology and Justice Coordinator after working in migrant ministry in Taiwan for 25 years.
Pope Francis' Message - World Migrant Day 2017 - (Click here to read)
