MIGRANT WORKERS: There are about 1,300 stateless children facing urgent problems, such as lack of access to health and medical services, the Legal Aid Foundation said
Taipei Times
Date: Feb 21, 2018
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter
Taiwan should amend relevant laws to deal with the issue of “stateless children” born to
Legal Aid Foundation deputy chief executive officer Lin Tsung-hsien speaks at the launch of a book about stateless people’s rights in Taipei on Dec. 28 last year. Photo: CNA
migrant workers, a legal expert said yesterday, citing hundreds of undocumented children born in the nation annually.
These children face obstacles in receiving education and healthcare, and are being deprived of their basic rights, Legal Aid Foundation deputy chief executive officer Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) told a seminar in Taipei.
“On average, 700 babies are born to migrant workers in Taiwan each year. About one-quarter of them are unable to register and obtain residency status, because their parents are foreigners on work contracts for a few years only,” Lin said.
“About 1,300 of these children are stateless and some of them have no place to live, while others are cared for by single parents. They face urgent problems, including lack of access to health and medical services,” he said, citing data provided by Harmony Home Association. [FULL STORY]
