Taiwan’s migrant worker policies lack social protection and mental health safeguards. This project will offer Indonesian female migrant workers psychological counseling and a community platform for sharing work-life experiences through educational workshops. Drawing inspiration from Kartini—the early 20th-century pioneer of Indonesian women’s rights who championed education and healthcare for Javanese women—we will partner with Indonesian Muslim NGOs, Taiwanese and Indonesian scholars, and the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office in Taipei to host policy-dialogue workshops. By combining hands-on migrant mental health training with these collaborative sessions, we aim to explore and promote mechanisms for migrant worker social protection and psychological well-being.
We will collaborate with the Muslim women's organization Salimah in Indonesia. By leveraging their existing community networks, we will plan relevant courses and introduce the concept of diaspora engagement into migrant workers' social services with development research implications. At the same time, we will gain an understanding of the labor life and psychological issues of female migrant workers. The gathered information will be used to facilitate a tripartite dialogue between non-profit organizations, government, and academia. The plan is divided into two main goals:
- Strengthening local organizations and seeking practical bases: In the experience of implementing remote parenting courses for Indonesian migrant workers in northern Taiwan's fishing ports and harbor cities, we will explore the potential of Keelung as a future practical base.
- International linkages and dialogue: We plan to invite Indonesian NGOs, scholars, and Taiwanese collaborators, including religious NGOs in Taiwan and Indonesian embassy officials, for a dialogue in Taiwan.
This project pioneers parenting education for migrant workers while developing mother–child school activities and offering both online and in-person mental health lectures. To prepare for future international workshops on migrant workers and social services, the team plans an exchange visit to Yogyakarta’s Universitas Negeri in Central Java and will engage other Muslim organizations there.
Locally, Keelung will serve as a pilot site in collaboration with Indonesian fishing worker groups. We will also partner with Salimah, an Indonesian Muslim women’s organization, leveraging existing networks to deepen Taiwan–Indonesia interactions. Through these cross-regional, cross-cultural collaborations, we aim to translate project outcomes into actionable policy recommendations.
