Eight charged in Taiwan for exploiting Vietnamese workers, including child labor
Taiwanese prosecutors have indicted a naturalized Vietnamese woman and seven others for forcing Vietnamese adults and minors into unpaid labor under a false religious pretext.
A special task force led by the National Immigration Agency’s Taichung City Specialized Operation Brigade uncovered a scheme in which a naturalized Taiwanese woman, Nguyễn, persuaded Vietnamese followers to bring their underage children to Taiwan under the guise of religious practice. Prosecutors allege she presented herself as the reincarnation of a living Buddha and promised good karma for work performed for her. The victims, many of whom sold property and left families, were forced to work on farms and in restaurants without wages, with passports confiscated and communications restricted.
To avoid detection, Nguyễn moved some mothers and children to Miaoli County and New Taipei, placing them under other believers’ supervision. After months of investigation, police rescued four exploited minors, who have been safely repatriated to Vietnam, and indicted Nguyễn, four Vietnamese-born naturalized Taiwanese women, and three Vietnamese mothers on charges of labor exploitation and child abduction.
Why it matters
The case highlights cross-border human trafficking and the misuse of religious claims to exploit vulnerable migrants.
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