\u201cIt\u2019s not sleep; it\u2019s a nap. And it\u2019s a very cramped sleeping space,\u201d he says, describing an overall \u201cdangerous work environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Father Tajonera came to Taiwan in 2002 to serve migrant workers from the Philippines<\/a>. His ministry includes a bustling shelter and a lively Catholic community centered in Taichung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most migrants in Taiwan work on land, in factories that crank out computer chips, camera lenses, ball bearings and a wide variety of industrial components. The smaller number of migrants who work the boats aren\u2019t as visible, since they spend so little time ashore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet Stella Maris \u2014 a worldwide network<\/a> \u2014 is present in several Taiwanese ports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we first started coming to the port, communication was a big issue for the seafarers and fishers,\u201d says Cecilia Huang, who since 2012 has coordinated the group\u2019s presence in Taichung. \u201cThey had no way to keep in touch with their families back home, much less have access to information about their salaries and rights. So we brought a laptop with us and used Skype.\u201d The volunteers would share food, clothing and other items with the fishers. \u201cSometimes the ship captains would invite us aboard to celebrate Mass,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut we also listened,\u201d she continues. \u201cThey told us about their difficulties with dishonest recruiters, illegal salary deductions, long hours and abuse, and how they had to stay on the boat even though it was docked. As we heard their complaints, we educated them about their rights and encouraged them to reach out to the Taiwanese government for help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years the Taiwanese government has become more responsive to the complaints of migrant workers. Yet the work of fishers is handled by the government\u2019s Fisheries Agency<\/a>, part of the Ministry of Agriculture, rather than its Ministry of Labor. Sea-based migrant workers simply don\u2019t get sufficient official attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf they\u2019re out to sea they are out of sight, and thus out of luck,\u201d Father Tajonera says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The priest advocates for Wi-Fi on board vessels, which would allow workers to monitor their salaries, report labor violations and keep in touch with their families back home, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Tajonera \u2014 who has modeled his shelter on Catholic Worker houses of hospitality<\/a> \u2014 is quick to respond when called upon for help for migrant fishers, Huang says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just call Father Joy. \u2018No problem,\u2019 he always says. \u2018Just come.\u2019 He makes space for them in the shelter, listens to their stories, and helps them figure out what steps to take to defend their rights,\u201d Huang says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe get referrals from the Fisheries Agency and from immigration,\u201d Father Tajonera says. \u201cThey\u2019ll call up and say, \u2018A boat is stranded here, and the workers have no place to go. Can you shelter them?\u2019 We always say yes.\u201d He adds, \u201cWe welcome everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Tajonera and Huang often coordinate with other Stella Maris organizations. \u201cWhen a fisher has problems in a foreign port,\u201d the missioner explains, \u201cthe local Stella Maris people can reach out to their counterparts in the worker\u2019s home country and work together to resolve their immediate problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They also collaborate globally with environmental groups and labor organizations. In May of 2024, Father Tajonera coordinated a conference in Taichung<\/a> that brought together people from around the world who are working for fishers\u2019 welfare. The participants committed to keeping up pressure on the fishing industry and regional governments to combat human trafficking and slavery at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taiwan\u2019s government has been particularly singled out. In September of 2024, fish from Taiwan was put on the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s \u201cList of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor<\/a>.\u201d It was the third consecutive listing of Taiwan in the biennial report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then in December, the environmental organization Greenpeace<\/a> published a report stating that it has received 10 reports from migrant fishers who allegedly experienced forced labor and illegal fishing on Taiwan-based boats. The workers named 12 Taiwanese vessels accused of confiscating identification documents from workers, with some ships practicing debt bondage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taiwan\u2019s Fisheries Agency has responded to the pressure by increasing the monthly wage for migrant fishers to $550, ensuring direct and full payment of wages and launching a fund to subsidize Wi-Fi. Officials at the agency say it has increased insurance coverage for fishers, installed video surveillance on some ships, improved labor and living conditions and better managed recruitment agents. They have hired new inspectors to guarantee compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Father Tajonera believes the next step is to turn the spotlight on the companies that acquire the fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to visit the fishers in the port or welcome them to our shelter. Those are important ministries, but if things are going to change, we\u2019ve also got to focus on who buys the fish,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat\u2019s their public commitment to corporate social responsibility, to basic human rights? What are they doing to stop overfishing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Charles Niece<\/a>, director of Maryknoll\u2019s human rights and supply chain transparency project in Taichung, pressuring seafood corporations to honor environmental responsibility and labor rights has long been a challenge because of the difficulty in tracing fish from its source to the final consumer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaryknoll helps individual fishers present their cases to the authorities, but we\u2019ve had a hard time raising the issues with corporate buyers because of the lack of traceability,\u201d Niece says. \u201cWe\u2019re working with the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility<\/a> and other NGOs to encourage seafood buyers to improve their policies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Niece says workers\u2019 advocates are overcoming this obstacle. In its December report, Greenpeace used the code stamped on cans of one brand of tuna sold in the United States to identify the individual boats that had caught the fish inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWorking with other NGOs,\u201d Father Tajonera adds, \u201cwe\u2019ve become a leader in pressing for change through following the supply chain that leads to that can of tuna in your neighborhood supermarket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul Jeffrey is a photojournalist who works around the world with church-sponsored relief agencies. Founder of Life on Earth Pictures, he lives in Oregon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Featured image: Maryknoll Father Joyalito Tajonera, who serves in Taiwan, ministers to migrant fishers as part of the Catholic Church\u2019s worldwide apostolate providing pastoral care to seafarers. (Paul Jeffrey\/Taiwan)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/W26-Stella-Maris-1.jpg\" "\\"W26-Stella-Maris-1\\"")
![\"Father](\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/W26-Stella-Maris-2-1.jpg\" "\\"W26-Stella-Maris-2\\"")
![\"Cecilia](\"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/W26-Stella-Maris-3.jpg\" "\\"W26-Stella-Maris-3\\"")