The youth activist championing for migrant workers' rights ft. Julia Mariano

According to the American think tank, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, there are currently around 700,000 migrant laborers in Taiwan, making up about 80 percent of the foreign residents in Taiwan. Approximately a quarter million are in domestic care roles, and the remainder work in industries such as agriculture, fishing, and semiconductor factories. Many are at risk of discrimination, exploitation, and abuse.

Today’s guest on Hot Stuff is Filipino youth activist Julia Mariano. Julia is the spokesperson for Migrante International – Taiwan Chapter, a rights organization for Filipino migrant workers. Their engagement in activism started when they were a high school student in the Philippines, despite the dangers and social ostracization that came with it. Julia, who came to Taiwan to attend university, has now been here for four years and has been active in defending and promoting the rights of Filipino migrant workers through workers’ rights campaigns and union building. 

In this episode, we discuss how Julia first got involved in activism, the detrimental aftermath of the US colonization of the Philippines, and why there are so many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Julia will also share their own father’s experience of being a migrant worker in Taiwan, and how migrant workers here are at risk of exploitation and abuse.