問題不是移工懷孕,問題是衛福部製造對立!請假休假是移工權利,空窗期是衛福部責任!記者會
台灣身心障礙者自立生活聯盟 秘書長 林君潔發言:
各位媒體朋友、各位夥伴,大家好,我是台灣身心障礙者自立生活聯盟的林君潔。
對於我們需要人力支持的障礙者而言,適切、持續不中斷的協助服務,是在社區生活、工作及參與社會的基本條件。家人無法、也不應被要求無償照顧、協助障礙者一輩子,但好的制度,可以支持我們一輩子。
最近,許多言論把矛頭指向懷孕移工,要求事先檢查。但難道移工只會懷孕,不會生病、受傷嗎?接下來是不是要求神問卜,或要求預測移工未來會不會發生意外、受傷或生病?
移工是人,不是機器。衛福部應建立替代人力機制與良好的公共支持服務制度,而不是把問題轉嫁到移工或障礙者身上。
衛福部的卸責造成障礙者和移工形成對立的局面,我們認為國家的失職,不能成為侵犯移工權利的理由;保障移工,也不能漠視障礙者沒有人力協助、面臨生活停擺且不斷付出高昂費用的危機。雙方權利都應受到保障,不能犧牲任何一方來填補公共制度的缺口。
(新聞稿及發言稿相關資料https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RMsSXelXyN7BY3eONNB08wzPtLw8kbvOJsRj9nh5rSY/edit?usp=sharing)
【English version】
Good morning, members of the media and fellow advocates. I am Chun-Chieh Lin from the Taiwan Independent Living.
For those of us with disabilities who need personal support, appropriate and uninterrupted assistance is essential to living in the community, working, and participating in society. Families cannot—and should not be expected to—provide unpaid care and assistance throughout our lives. But a good public support system can support us throughout our lives.
Recently, much of the public debate has targeted pregnant migrant workers, with calls for pregnancy screening in advance. But is pregnancy the only thing that can happen to a migrant worker? Can they not become ill or get injured? What comes next—consulting fortune-tellers, or demanding predictions about whether a worker will have an accident, get injured, or become ill?
Migrant workers are human beings, not machines. The Ministry of Health and Welfare should establish replacement staffing arrangements and a sound public support system, rather than shifting the burden onto migrant workers or persons with disabilities.
The Ministry’s failure to take responsibility has pitted persons with disabilities and migrant workers against each other. The government’s failure cannot justify violating migrant workers’ rights. At the same time, protecting migrant workers must not mean ignoring persons with disabilities who are left without assistance, whose daily lives come to a halt, and who continue to face high costs. Both sides’ rights must be protected. Neither should be sacrificed to fill gaps in the public support system.
Beyond this, many more persons with disabilities and their families simply cannot afford to hire a migrant worker. People who need extensive assistance often face greater barriers to employment and income. Yet the government expects individuals and families to pay for the assistance they need, shifting the greatest burdens onto those who need the most support. Is this fair?
How can we live independently and without barriers when personal assistance and home care services offer only scattered hours, provide no service on holidays or late at night, and impose so many restrictions? Our needs can arise at any hour of the day or night. When support stops, a person may be unable to drink, eat, use the toilet, or even keep breathing.
Population and family structures are changing. Not everyone has family nearby, and family members have their own work and lives. The government can no longer assume that a relative will always be available to step in without pay.
In the face of repeated killings by caregivers, the government cannot ignore the need for personal support and leave persons with disabilities and their families without assistance, their basic needs unmet and their lives at risk—only to discuss reduced sentences and pardons after a life has been taken. We demand adequate support before tragedy occurs.
We call on the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Labor to jointly present budgets and timelines for adequate, affordable support, including nighttime and holiday services and emergency backup. Any reform must also ensure that persons with disabilities can decide who supports them, when, and how, while respecting existing support relationships that both parties wish to continue.
Protect migrant workers’ leave! Keep disability support going!
Rights for all! Public support now!
Thank you.