Who can you turn to when facing workplace exploitation or violence?

After coming to work in Taiwan, if you encounter situations such as delayed salary payments, overtime work without overtime pay, exorbitant fees charged by brokers, withheld documents, or even threats, verbal abuse, or physical assault in the workplace, you don't need to wait until you can no longer bear it to seek help. Whether you are a migrant worker, a foreign professional, a student working part-time, or any other foreigner legally working in Taiwan, you can seek assistance through official channels. When encountering problems, the most important thing is to protect your personal safety first, then preserve relevant evidence to facilitate subsequent appeals. When in danger, protect yourself first, then seek help. If you are experiencing violence, restricted movement, threatened not to leave your workplace, or if someone is injured, call 110 immediately to report to the police. If you need medical assistance, call 119 for an ambulance. Do not waste time hesitating about which unit to contact, nor think about waiting for things to pass. As long as there is a risk to personal safety, the police and ambulance services are the first priority. If there is no immediate danger, but you are concerned about retaliation after returning to the workplace, or if you don't know what to do next, you can call the Ministry of Labor's 1955 Labor Consultation and Complaint Hotline. The 1955 hotline operates 24 hours a day, all year round, and provides assistance in languages including Mandarin Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai. In addition to answering questions about salary, working hours, labor contracts, broker fees, occupational injuries, and labor rights, it can also help refer resources such as local governments, labor authorities, police, legal aid, and temporary shelter. Whether it's owed wages, no overtime pay, withheld passports or residence permits, work-related injuries preventing medical treatment, or experiencing verbal abuse, threats, or violence, you can seek assistance from 1955 first, without waiting for the situation to worsen. Preserving evidence is more important than recalling it later. When facing labor disputes, the more complete the evidence, the easier it is to explain what happened. For issues related to salary, working hours, or overtime pay, you can keep payslips, remittance records, work schedules, clock-in/out records, contracts, communication records with employers or brokers, and records of actual working hours. If there are deductions from your salary, try to record the reasons, amounts, and the actual salary received each month. If you are injured at work, seek medical attention first and inform the medical staff that the injury may be work-related. Keep medical certificates, receipts, photos of the injury, and photos of the accident scene. Do not change your statement to say you were injured at home at the employer's request, as this may affect subsequent occupational injury assessments and related compensation. Furthermore, do not hand over your passport, residence permit, health insurance card, bank passbook, ATM card, or online banking passwords to others for safekeeping. Employers or brokers may inspect necessary documents but should not withhold them long-term. If they refuse to return them, keep relevant communication records and seek help from 1955 or the police. Don't bear problems alone. Some forms of workplace exploitation are not obvious from the beginning. It might be a small amount of salary deducted, vacation days repeatedly canceled, or the employer saying, "Everyone does it this way." Over time, this can lead people to believe they have no other choice. Even for domestic caregivers or household helpers working in families, if you experience long working hours, lack of rest, verbal abuse, violence, restricted movement, withheld documents, or are forced to perform work outside the contract, you can seek assistance from 1955. Although some work types may not be covered by the Labor Standards Act, this does not mean employers can restrict personal freedom or resort to violence. If you are a migrant worker hired to work in Taiwan and encounter problems, do not disappear or go to another place to work illegally out of fear. This can not only affect your residency and work status but also make it more difficult to address the original victimization. The safer approach is to first explain the situation through 1955, local labor authorities, or the police, allowing relevant units to assist with appeals, shelter, or legal processing. If you encounter documents you don't understand, do not rush to sign them or give up your rights. Working in Taiwan, regardless of nationality, as long as you are legally employed, you are entitled to corresponding labor rights. When facing issues like owed wages, withheld documents, workplace violence, or other unfair treatment, seeking help is not causing trouble but is about protecting your safety and rights through the formal system.