Taiwan has been listed in Tier 1 for the 2015 Trafficking-in-Persons Report, which was released Monday by the US State Department.
Taiwan has been placed in the top tier for six years in a row. The ranking indicates that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking and fully meets the minimum standards in addressing the problem. Taiwan and South Korea are the only two countries in East Asia with the high ranking.
The foreign ministry said in a press release Tuesday that the government will continue working with NGOs to prevent and curb human smuggling.
In 2009, a human trafficking prevention law was enacted to help prevent trafficking, protect victims and prosecute related criminals. The National Immigration Agency also publishes a report on the effectiveness of the government’s actions.
The report recommends that Taiwan reduce the exploitation of migrant workers by brokers and close the knowledge gap between prosecutors and judges.