Taiwan’s Kaohsiung District Prosecutors Office on Monday, September 18, formally charged 19 employees of several fishing companies for exploiting and illegally detaining 81 foreign fishermen, including Filipinos.
The prosecutor’s office said the fishermen from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Tanzania were forced to work 10 hours a day, while some were tasked to work for 48 consecutive hours, Central News Agency (CNA) Taiwan reported.
The fishermen, who were rescued in May 2016, said they received less than the minimum wage and were confined together in small windowless rooms.
Prosecutors charged 19 employees, including the manager surnamed Lin, of exploitation, human trafficking, and offenses against personal liberty.
Authorities were made aware of the situation by a tip from a social worker saying the fishermen, were being held captive by the companies after entering Taiwan through the Port of Kaohsiung.
The workers were rescued after authorities found evidence that they have been exploited by their employers since January 2014.
Source: Central News Agency Taiwan
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