Simple reminders to protect yourself when living in a foreign land and handling emergency situations.
I.Keep your personal credentials properly
You are reminded to keep your personal credentials properly! Do not give your personal information to strangers.
II.Identify personal assault
A.Identify sexual assault
1.What is sexual assault?？
(1.)Sexual assault is not a about sex but violence. It is an encroachment to your personal being, and a sex act without permission.
(2.)Simply said, any advances to achieve sex without your permission by means of violence, coercion, threat, hypnotism and other personal violations against your will are sexual assaults.
(3.)In addition, to touch or pretentiously bump into any part of your body that is considered obscene is also regarded as sexual assault.
2.What do you do if you are sexually assaulted?
(1.)Keep your calm: Do not provoke the opposite party, and do not return his physical assaults,. Try to cool him/her down to avoid making the situation worse.
(2.)Protect yourself: Especially your head, face, neck, breast, abdomen and other important parts of the body.
(3.)Call for help aloud: Yell “fire” (transliteration) to call people’s attention.
(4.)Leave the place fast: Leave the place and find a safe place, look for neighbors for help; and seek assistance at the regional Center for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention.
(5.)Go to the police: Go to police station and ask for assistance and shelter; or request that you be brought to the hospital for medical attention.
(6.)Keep firmly in mind the various characteristics of the assailant.
(7.)Leave the scene as is; Do not move or touch any items in the scene.
(8.)Do not change your clothing, but you can put on a jacket or a coat.
(9.)Do not wash your vagina in order to obtain specimens (sperm or hair) of the assailant.
(10.)You should get medical attention in a hospital for diagnosis and treatment of injury that will serve as evidence of the assault.
B.Identify sexual harassment
1.What is sexual harassment?
Other than referring this to a sexual violation, discrimination or crime against the will of another person, the following are manifestations of a sexual harassment:
(1).The person is asking you to do things or reject things for his own advantage so that he may advance or avoid what he dislike in his work, education, training, service, plans or other activities.
(2).To display or broadcast by means of messages, drawings, sounds, photographic images or other ways; to discriminate, use abusive words or other methods that would hurt other people’s personal dignity, or cause other peoplel to live in fear, a feeling of hostility or insult; or an improper act to interfere other people’s work, education, training, service, plan, activity or normal livelihood performances (sex harassment prevention Article 2).
2.If you have unfortunately been sexually harassed, what should you do?
A person with a tendency to commit sexual harassment normally becomes a molester if the victim continuously ignores him or patiently deals with him without saying anything or does not pay attention (like play deaf or does not understand) or escape (by voluntarily moving to another place.) ,etc. If you encounter this kind of person, adopt the following actions to avoid being sexually harassed:
If the situation permits, you may try to communicate with the person:
Face to face, through correspondence, or a third person that both parties can trust, and clearly inform the person of your uneasiness and request him/her to stop his actions immediately.
If the situation does not improve; you should then adopt the control-the-situation strategy:
(1).Tell your relatives, friends or associates you can trust about the incident and the effect it has caused you.
(2).Record the sexual harassment incident: Record in detail the full incident, the attempts you did to try to stop the sexual harassment; and what you had done to resist or to deal with it. If you have not done anything, ask why, what is your feeling, and to what other extent it has affected you. List down eyewitnesses; describe the eyewitness response, record in detail each time the event occurs including date and location. Write down the incident as soon as it has occurred and keep them for record purposes.
(3).Collect evidences (such as: sound recording of the person who is hurting you)
(4).Seek legal relief: such as filing of criminal prosecution, civil compensation, or administrative case (file an appeal or apply for mediation)
C.Handling of Assault Cases: (including: sexual assault, sexual harassment and physical injury)
If you have unfortunately been physically assaulted in Taiwan, contact the following channels for protection and assistance:
1.“113”Women and Children Protection hotline
If you are sexually assaulted and your personal safety is threatened, please dial “113 - Women and Children Protection and Counseling hotline”(24 hours toll-free service）. Services are provided in five languages - English, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Cambodian.
2.Regional Foreign Workers Consultation Service Centers
3.The Bureau of Employment and Vocational Center’s foreign workers’ toll-free hotline（service time is 8：00AM until 17：00PM，see attached table 2）; the foreign workers’ representative offices of each city and municipality; and the Center for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention will assist you fully . Services would include helping you to get medical attention in a hospital for an injury; go to the police station to file a report and request for an investigation; provide translation services when you appear in court; provide shelter if necessary ; transfer you to a new employer and coordinate to settle labor disputes, etc.
English:0800-885885
Indonesian:0800-885958
Thai: 0800-885995
Vietnamese: 0800-017858
4.Police hotline 110
D.Understand Human Trafficking
1.What is human trafficking？
Human trafficking is a method of buying and selling human beings or holding them hostage in an attempt to achieve sex exploitation, labor force exploitation or securing organs; Usually the following acts are being committed: coercion, threat, surveillance, medication, hypnotism, deception, improper indebtedness or other forceful methods; The violator organizes the victims, recruit, ship, transport, hide, broker, detain or conduct covert acts.
If you encountered the following acts, then you might be a victim of human trafficking:
(1.)Brokering foreigners to work for others illegally. This falls under Article 45 of Employment Services Act.
(2.)Recruiting someone without permit, or the permit has already expired or foreigners are recruited by others. This falls under Article 57, Paragraph 1 of Employment Services Act.
(3.)Using the name of an employer to recruit foreigners to work for others. This falls under Article 57, Paragraph 2 of Employment Services Act.
(4.)To bring recruited foreigners to engage in work other than permitted or change the foreigner’s workplace without permission. This falls under Article 57, paragraph 3 of Employment Services Act.
2.What do you do if you are a victim of human trafficking？
If you are a victim of human trafficking and in order to safeguard your rights and interests in Taiwan, you can contact the Foreign Workers Consultation Service Centers in your area ; or the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Center’s toll-free hotline for foreign workers (see attached table 2）, or the foreign workers service centers at Taoyuan and Kaohsiung International Airports (see attached table 5). They will assist you if you need medical attention due to injuries, report to the police station and immigration bureau and etc.; provide an interpreter if you need to appear in court; arrange for your transfer to another employer; or assist you in the settlement of labor dispute, and other matters.