Taiwan International Workers’ Association

What Taiwan International Workers’ Association does

Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA / 台灣國際勞工協會) is a Taipei-based non-profit civil society organization founded in 1999, recognized as Taiwan's first NGO dedicated exclusively to international migrant workers. The organization serves migrant workers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Myanmar employed across manufacturing, fisheries, domestic care, and other sectors in Taiwan, addressing exploitation by private brokers/agents, employer switching restrictions, lack of labor protections for domestic workers, wage inequality, poor living conditions, and workplace hazards.

TIWA's portfolio spans case assistance, legal support, policy advocacy, public education, and cultural/community programming rather than commercial technology products. Its outputs include a bilingual website, the TIWA FAN Facebook page, books (《折翼驛鄉》 and 《移工的仲介故事書》), documentary films (《Ｔ婆工廠》, 《彩虹芭樂》, 《八東病房》) distributed on DVD and online, the audio podcast 《過鹹水》, news columns (PNN《看見》 and TIWA《飄零與人權》), a migrant-worker-run news platform (TV Migran Migren), a labor education audio-visual database, and printmaking workshops. The 2023 release of the agency story book as a free PDF ebook translated into Chinese, English, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Thai illustrates its multilingual content distribution model.

The organization operates without commercial revenue; it is funded by donations and public support (a small-dollar donation page is hosted on tiwa.org.tw), functions as a core member of the MENT (Migrants Empowerment Network in Taiwan) coalition, and maintains strategic alliances with multiple labor and human rights organizations including Women's Awakening Foundation, Taiwan Association for Human Rights, Taiwan Workers' Front, Taiwan Disability Rights Alliance, SEBIMA, GANAS, and the TIMWA offshoot established in 2003. TIWA co-organizes the biennial Migrant Workers Rally and conducts sustained campaigns against the private broker system, for G2G direct hiring, and for inclusion of domestic workers in pension and labor protections.

Name

Taiwan International Workers’ Association

Legal name

Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA) / 台灣國際勞工協會

Website

https://tiwa.org.tw

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TIWA is a Taipei-based non-profit founded in 1999 — Taiwan's first civil society organization dedicated to international migrant workers. It provides case assistance, policy advocacy, publications, and coalition work via the MENT network to serve Southeast Asian migrant workers facing exploitation and labor rights violations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Migrant Worker Advocacy and Labor Rights Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Migrant worker advocacy
• Labor rights services
• Policy reform campaigns
• Community organizing
• Civil society nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Taipei

HQ country

Taiwan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA) is a nonprofit civil society organization that provides advocacy, case assistance, legal support, and public education on labor rights for international migrant workers in Taiwan. It produces publications (books, ebooks), documentary films, a podcast, a migrant-worker-run news outlet (TV Migran Migren), and an audio-visual labor education database, and it organizes campaigns and rallies (such as the biennial Migrant Workers Rally) to push for policy reform on issues like the private recruitment agency system, freedom to change employers, domestic worker protections, and long-term care labor conditions.

Product overview

Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA) is a non-profit civil society organization serving as the first in Taiwan dedicated to international migrant workers. Rather than a commercial technology product company, TIWA provides advocacy services, publishes educational materials, produces documentary films, operates media platforms, and conducts cultural programs for migrant worker rights. Its portfolio includes news media (TV Migran Migren), audio content (TIWA Podcast 過鹹水), publications (books and ebooks including 《移工的仲介故事書》), documentary films (《Ｔ婆工廠》《彩虹芭樂》《八東病房》), and cultural education programs (printmaking workshops, audio-visual database). The organization focuses on policy advocacy, labor rights protection, and public education about migrant worker issues in Taiwan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book: 《折翼驛鄉》(Broken Wings, Far From Home) A printed book publication addressing issues faced by migrant workers in Taiwan, available for purchase via TIWA's online ordering page.
• E-book: 《移工的仲介故事書》(The Migrant Workers' Agency Story Book) An e-book documenting 15 migrant workers' experiences with labor exploitation and recruitment agency malpractices in Taiwan, available free as a multi-language PDF.
• Documentary DVD: 《Ｔ婆工廠》& 《彩虹芭樂》 A pair of documentary films about migrant workers' experiences, available for purchase as physical DVDs and online streaming through TIWA's ordering page.
• Documentary DVD: 《八東病房》(Badong Ward) A documentary film addressing labor conditions and rights of migrant workers in Taiwan, available for purchase as a physical DVD.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• TIMWA - Taiwan Indonesian Migrant Workers' AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2003TIMWA was formally organized with TIWA's assistance. TIWA helped establish this self-governing organization for Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan.
• MENT (Migrants Empowerment Network in Taiwan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIWA is a member organization of MENT, the broader coalition of migrant worker groups in Taiwan. MENT organizes the biennial Migrant Workers Rally, with TIWA participating as a key member. MENT brings together multiple organizations to advocate for migrant worker rights including abolition of private broker system and government-to-government employment arrangements.
• Women's Awakening Foundation (婦女新知基金會)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of joint campaigns including International Domestic Workers Day demonstrations advocating for domestic worker labor protections.
• Taiwan Association for Human Rights (台灣人權促進會)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in joint statements on human rights issues affecting migrant workers, including corporate accountability cases and policy advocacy.
• Taiwan Workers' Front (台灣工人鬥陣總工會)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signatory on joint statements regarding forced labor and corporate accountability, such as the statement on Giant Bicycle's withholding release order issue.
• Taiwan Disability Rights Alliance (台灣身心障礙者自立生活聯盟)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy partner for domestic worker and long-term care policy reform, including opposition to policies that would expand exploitative home-based care systems.
• SEBIMA (台灣生產製造工會籌備會)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian migrant worker organization that co-organizes advocacy activities with MENT coalition, including labor inspection campaigns.
• GANAS (印尼勞工團結組織)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian migrant worker solidarity organization participating in joint actions and demonstrations within the MENT coalition.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CARAM Asia: Regional Asia-wide coalition coordinating advocacy on migration, health, and labor rights. Directly comparable as a coalition operating across the same source countries (Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar) that TIWA serves in Taiwan.
• Bojour Center: Swedish organization supporting migrant workers facing exploitation, providing shelter, legal aid, and advocacy. Comparable as a single-country migrant worker NGO with casework, advocacy, and reform campaigns analogous to TIWA's portfolio in Taiwan.
• Migrant Care: Indonesian NGO advocating for Indonesian migrant workers domestically and abroad. Highly comparable as a source-country counterpart advocating for labor protections, recruitment reform, and family support services analogous to those TIWA pushes for in Taiwan.
• HOME (Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics): Singapore-based NGO advocating for migrant worker rights, providing casework, policy advocacy, and shelter services. Directly comparable as an Asian migrant worker advocacy organization focused on low-wage domestic and construction workers in a single host country.
• Tenaganita: Malaysian NGO advocating for migrant workers, refugees, and women. Comparable in mission, target population (Southeast Asian labor migrants), and advocacy focus on recruitment abuses and labor protections in the host country.
• Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA): Philippine NGO advocating for the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Comparable in serving a major source country for migrant workers, with similar casework, policy reform, and coalition-building approaches to TIWA's work.
• Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA): Asia-wide regional network of migrant worker organizations, with TIWA-aligned Indonesian, Filipino, and other member groups. Comparable as the regional coordinating body for grassroots migrant worker advocacy, including policy campaigns TIWA participates in.
• Migrant Workers Centre (Australia): Australian advocacy and casework organization for migrant workers facing exploitation. Directly comparable in operating model (NGO + union hybrid), advocacy on employer transfer rules and visa-tied labor, and policy reform campaigns parallel to TIWA's agenda.
• Mission for Migrant Workers: Hong Kong NGO providing casework, shelter, and advocacy for foreign domestic workers and migrant laborers. Closely comparable to TIWA in serving migrant workers, particularly Indonesian and Filipino populations, with similar advocacy against exploitative employment practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TIWA.FAN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taiwan-international-workers%E2%80%99-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Taiwan International Workers’ Association