The Shelter of Compassion

• TaiwanACT •

The Vietnamese Migrant Workers and Brides Office (VMWBO) runs three shelters. The shelters are established to provide refuge for brides as well as migrant workers. Residents include victims of labor exploitations and sexual abuses as well as brides who are abused by their husbands and/or in-laws. Many of our residents were also trafficked to Taiwan under the guise of marriage or employment.

Since our shelters opened in mid 2004, we have sheltered over 100 victims, many whom have to wait for their case to be resolved. The reasons range from forced repatriation, nonpayment and/or illegal deduction of wages, and rape or sexual harassment.

Currently, there are 26 people residing at the shelter. Among them are seven male factory workers, fifteen female domestic workers or caretakers, two brides who were trafficked, and one bride and her four-month-old son. Some have been here for a few days, others have stayed for 10 months.

While living at the shelter, the residents are not allowed to work for wages until the Council of Labor Affairs gives the green light. They have a lot of free time as a result. Currently, VMWBO has a variety of education and self enrichment classes.

Several Catholic priests trained in the areas of psychology and social services have been holding classes to assist residents in dealing with family and social life skills, and to help them better understanding themselves. Discussion topics usually center on the subjects of family education, social adaptation, depression and how to cope with it, survival skills, etc. Furthermore, residents can seek individual counseling if needed.

Residents also benefit from weekly meetings to discuss a topic selected in advance. During meeting time, each individual shares with the group his/her opinions about the topic. Other participants will then ask questions or express their own interpretations of the topic. Participants become more and more comfortable and less inhibitive in expressing their opinions with the group. They show improvements in self-esteem and more confidence in their own skills and talents.

We also offer Mandarin to the residents to help them improve or maintain the Chinese language skills that they have gained during their employment. There are also ongoing cooking classes, as well as art and craft lessons.

In addition, we also organize contests around Christmas time, such as poetry and story writing. Many residents entered the contest this past Christmas, with the majority of contestants choosing to compete in the category of poetry writing. Their poems reflect the utter despair of life as a migrant worker in Taiwan, their longing for the family and homeland left behind in Vietnam, or the worries of their present situation. One woman wrote:

“The life of a domestic worker Unfairly destined Enslaved by its owner Oh! How can I endure this humiliation? Where do I look for justice?”

Another woman remembered the day of her departure:

“Taiwan, my next destination This dreadful sorrow...”

One wrote about her feelings:

“I chose to leave because I need money To go to Taiwan without a known return How I miss my homeland My husband and my kids My overflowing love for them”

These opportunities for self-expression help alleviate the suffering they have to endure and renew the joy and hope in their hearts.

For the coming New Year celebration, besides planning for a party for migrant workers and brides living and working in northern Taiwan, we will also organize a poetry and story writing contest about spring time and the homeland, and a song writing contest.

The residents live together as a big extended family. They share laughter as well as tears: stories about their ordeal, their life as an worker in a foreign land. Thank goodness that we still have laughter to share with each other.

The report is long enough, though we still have more stories to share. This shelter of compassion has a lot to improve, a lot of progress to make to remain as a warm and caring place for the victims. It is comforting for us to receive phone calls from ex-residents who are now employed at their new workplace; they said, “The memories of the joy and sadness and the life and experience at the shelter are what they try to hold on to as they face their uncertain future.” It is indeed a joy for us and for all of our benefactors, whose generosity has provided us with opportunities and means to offer much needed services to our brothers and sisters in Taiwan. We sincerely thank all our benefactors and truly appreciate your support.

We wish you all peace, happiness, and prosperity for the New Year.

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