Human trafficking tally reaches 3,401 in five years
By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA
A total of 3,401 people were investigated in human trafficking cases from 2021 to last year, 147 of whom were implicated in suspected organ harvesting, data released by the Ministry of Justice showed.
Forced labor accounted for the largest share of human trafficking investigations, involving 1,914 people, or about 56 percent, data on human trafficking cases handled by district prosecutors’ offices over the five-year period showed.
Sex trafficking investigations accounted for 1,281 people, or 38 percent, although the number rose from 168 in 2021 to 309 last year.
The emblem of the Ministry of Justice is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo: CNA
Those investigated for involvement in organ harvesting remained fewer than 70 people per year, with 34 investigated last year.
The number of people investigated in human trafficking cases rose from more than 600 in 2022 to 957 in 2023, the highest in the five-year period, although the figure declined to 802 last year.
Just 41 percent of the 3,401 people investigated were indicted, with 50.4 percent of those convicted aged 18 to 29 and 27.3 percent aged 30 to 39, an average age of 32, it showed.
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office has been investigating a human trafficking ring that attempted to send three people to China for organ harvesting, although the intended victims were found before they left Taiwan.
Seven suspects were indicted earlier this month in the case, with prosecutors seeking the maximum seven-year sentence for each defendant.
Under 2023 amendments to the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法), the punishment for attempted human trafficking is five to seven years in prison.
The ministry said that the government is continuing to combat human trafficking by preventative measures, reviewing government anti-trafficking strategies and integrating resources from the public and private sectors.
The US Department of State’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, released in September last year, placed Taiwan in the first tier for the 16th consecutive year, meaning the authorities fully meet the minimum standards for combating trafficking.
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