FEATURE/The struggles and sacrifices of Taiwan's female migrant workers

By Sean Lin, CNA staff reporter

"Nannan has two feet, and he's wearing new shoes... Nannan has one mouth that never stops eating..."

A woman sings lovingly in Bahasa Indonesia, her voice slightly shaky. Then, lights on, a curly-haired baby stares contentedly into the camera. Meet Nannan, one of the approximately 2,000 children in Taiwan born to a migrant worker, and his babysitter, Rimi.

"When The Plane Passes By" (飛機飛過的時候) is a documentary that deep dives into the challenges pregnant female migrant workers and those raising young children in Taiwan face.

In a recent interview with CNA, co-director Li I-ching (李依靜) said the film aims to bring how these women are treated, an issue she said is largely ignored by society, into the mainstream and spark discussions on what can be done to improve their plight.

An impossible choice

One woman in the film, Astutye, who is Nannan's mom, used to work at a factory but was illegally laid off after her boss found out she was pregnant.

She managed to find another job as a live-in caregiver and is allowed to spend one night a week with her son, Nannan, at a shelter run by the independent NGO Serve the People Association in Taoyuan (SPA), which produced the film.

The shelter provides food and lodging to female workers who have just given birth or are about to, and have lost their jobs as a result.

Rimi, her friend, takes care of Nannan the rest of the time, as she prepares to give birth to her second child. Although the situation works - for now - Astutye seeing her son so little is hardly ideal.

She thought she had done her research before deciding to have a child in Taiwan. Although the Taiwanese government reminds migrant workers to use contraception, Astutye said the information she had read online had led her to believe that it would be feasible to have a baby in Taiwan. 

It did not, however, mention how expensive it is to give birth and raise a child in Taiwan. Daycare places cost upwards of NT$20,000 (US$609) a month - the same as the salary of a live-in caregiver.

As a result, Astutye was forced to make a tough decision - to send her son back to Indonesia. Having just started a new job, she could not return with him because of the 'broker system.' If she had left and wanted to return to work in Taiwan, she would have been forced to pay a fee potentially as high as NT$90,000 to a broker.

So, her husband left for Indonesia with Nannan, leaving a distraught Astutye alone at Taoyuan airport.

Rising demand

Li said ensuring the welfare of live-in caregivers is particularly crucial given the probable increase in demand for their services as Taiwan becomes a super-aged society.

As of November 2024, 227,309 of the 395,473 female migrant workers in Taiwan (57.5 percent) were live-in caregivers or helpers, according to Ministry of Labor data.

Furthermore, a legal amendment pushed through by Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) in December 2024 significantly broadened the eligibility of people allowed to hire migrant caregivers.

Under the revision, people aged 80 and above will be able to hire live-in caregivers without passing a health evaluation, meaning demand will rise further.

Supporting migrant families

These women should not have to make such impossible choices, Li said, citing the story of Reni, another Indonesian live-in caregiver featured in the film, and her employer Chen Wen-chi (陳文琦).

Unlike most domestic caregivers, Reni lives with her son, Agam, in Chen's home.

Chen treats Reni like family and helps look after her son so she can focus on caring for his sick wife. Li said she hoped this reciprocal model could serve as a policymaking reference in Taiwan.

"We don't have to 'outsource' all the work to NGOs like SPA or Harmony Home Association; employers can help take care of (migrant workers') children too," Li said.

The Ministry of Labor should use its "employment stabilization fund" to issue subsidies to employers who allow the children of migrant caregivers to live in their homes, she said, arguing that this would give caregivers peace of mind and help them be more focused while working.

Li said this would also align with one of the fund's intended purposes -- to address matters relating to hiring and managing foreign workers.

"As Taiwan is becoming a super-aged society, everyone could become an employer of a migrant domestic caregiver... So, let's think about how we can improve their quality of living by improving their work environment. Then they will be able to take better care of Taiwan's society," Li said.

The documentary, co-directed by Chien Kuan-yin (簡冠瑩), premiered in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park on Dec. 19, 2024. It will go on a nationwide tour starting at Brilliant Time Bookstore in New Taipei on Feb. 8, with a total of six planned dates.

For more information, visit SPA's page here.

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