All that changed when the director of the Maryknoll short-term volunteer program introduced me to Maryknoll Father Joyalito Tajonera, who offered me a gap year with his migrant ministry in Taiwan. During our phone calls to discern whether this would be a good placement, Father Joy, as he is affectionately known, remarked that the Filipino migrant community in Taiwan is a perfect opportunity to truly live out Christian charity. And with that comment, I was convinced.
Sure enough, when I arrived at Father Joy’s migrant shelter in Taichung, Taiwan, I wasn’t attending lectures, but rather learning the Tagalog language of the Philippines and listening to a multitude of concerns from migrant workers in distress. I found myself gripping the calloused palms of automobile factory workers who labor without proper safety gear. I could smell the alkaline cleaning chemicals that linger on the clothes of electronics factory workers — some of them, victims of wage theft. I heard the subtle quiver in the voice of a migrant worker in an apparel factory who hadn’t had a day off in over a month.
Rather than “knowing about” Christian love from a chalkboard, I began to really “know” the sacrificial love borne by migrant workers to support their families.
I also began to recognize the limitations of the Taiwanese government in addressing certain labor malpractices. One day — thinking out loud — I said to Father Joy, “I wonder, do the American brands for whom these workers are making products know what’s going on?” From there we began to connect migrant workers to the international companies they ultimately work for.
Surprisingly, these corporations responded swiftly and with interest to understand what was happening in their supply chains and to assist in remedying the situations. We shared photos of overcrowded dormitories, calculations of debt repayments by workers who had taken out loans to secure jobs and messages of pregnant workers whose employment had been terminated. I like to think that these corporations also began to “know” and not just “know about” the experience of migrant workers.
Maryknoll Superior General Father Lance P. Nadeau interviews Charles Niece, a Maryknoll volunteer serving in Taiwan.
As I was getting ready to return home to New Jersey, more and more workers were seeking help. During Chinese New Year, Father Joy remarked to me with classic Maryknoll wisdom, “You shouldn’t go where you want, but where you’re needed.” A potent statement! I renewed my commitment as a Maryknoll volunteer. What was supposed to be a short-term gap period of six months has extended to over four years in Taiwan supporting the migrant community.
Over the past few years, we’ve helped initiate dozens of investigations and audits into forced and bonded labor of migrant workers in the global supply chain. We’ve involved corporate brands in a wide array of industries including electronics, medical devices, tooling, textile, automotive, apparel and food processing.
We estimate — with quite a bit of astonishment — that we have helped in the return of more than $4 million to approximately a thousand migrant workers. We oversaw the restoration of nearly 2,000 passports and other documents to migrant workers, whose employers often confiscate these documents to prevent them from leaving. We’ve helped dozens of workers gain the freedom to change employers.
The most rewarding part of this ministry is that once a few workers know their rights and have the confidence to stand up, they motivate other migrant workers to use their voices together. Five workers quickly grow to 300 organized workers, and one organized factory expands into five. It takes on a ripple effect, and I’m proud to say that it started with Father Joy and Maryknoll.
As for me, I found what I was promised: love in action.
Featured Image: Charles Niece (third from left), 26, has served for four years as a Maryknoll volunteer in Taiwan helping migrant workers to exercise their rights. (Courtesy of Charles Niece/Taiwan)
