children and youth under 15 as stated in Attachment 9-6 of the Second Report. (2) In addition to fining employers who violate the law so as to protect child/youth workers from being paid less than the legal minimum wage, the Government should also establish a regular visitation and counseling mechanism and provide policy incentives to exemplary employers for the purpose of improving the working conditions of child/youth workers. Additionally, labor resources should be invested in junior high schools and elementary schools in order to establish a long-term effectiveness monitoring mechanism, while welfare services should be utilized to assist economically disadvantaged children and youth. Occupational Injuries and Labor Complaints among Child/Youth Workers 124. A government study94 has shown that although the occupational injury rate per thousand teenage workers dropped to 4.20 in 2017, it is still higher than the occupational injury rate per thousand workers in Taiwan (2.773). Furthermore, according to a government-commissioned study95, 39% of survey respondents said that they suffered occupational injuries in the workplace. The NHRC has observed that statistics do not reflect the actual number of occupational injuries, as many child and youth workers agree to settle with their employer privately due to a lack of understanding of labor rights or in order to avoid trouble. 125. In comparing the number of complaints received and the statistics on child and youth labor violations between 2018 and 2021, the NHRC found that only roughly 4% (39 out of 907) of cases filed a complaint through the hotline, showing a very low number of complaints received via the complaint channel or from children and youth whose rights have been violated. 126. Recommendations: (1) The Government should formulate an effective workplace safety policy for teens, assess the feasibility of establishing a child/youth labor audit department and associated personnel, conduct labor inspections that focus on children, increase the 94 95 Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health, MOL (2019). Study of the Causes of Occupational Injuries in Teenage Workers and Their Preventive Measures. MOE (2019). Investigation and Study of Off-Campus Employment of Students Under 18 in Senior High School Continuing Education Programs. 62

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