台灣街友問題The issue of homelessness in Taiwan
你好,我是Cindy,我是一名線上華語老師,每週我會跟你分享台灣重要的新聞或是有趣的文化,歡迎訂閱我的電子報! I'm Cindy. I am an online Mandarin teacher. Every week, I will share important news and interesting cultural insights from Taiwan with you.
本週關鍵字 (Keywords of the Week)
街友(jiēyǒu) - homeless person
遊民(yóumín) - homeless person
臨時工(línshí gōng) - Temporary worker
日薪(rì xīn) - Daily wage
歧視(qíshì) - Discrimination
大家好,上次跟大家分享不是由台灣人發明的「國際珍奶日」,這個星期我看到了一則新聞,在台灣的第二大城台中市,為了要讓城市看起來更好,開始每天定期清除街友的行李,讓許多街友抱怨連連,本週想跟大家聊聊台灣的街友問題。
「homelessness」的中文
說到「homelessness」這個字,在中文有很多翻譯,街友、流浪漢、遊民、無家可歸者、露宿者等,不過在台灣的新聞媒體比較常用「街友」這個詞,而政府則比較常用「遊民」這個詞。這兩個詞在中文裡面也比其他的詞聽起來更好聽,今天我會用「街友」這個詞。
台灣的街友有多少人?住在哪裡?
在台灣,根據政府的統計,街友大概有3000人左右,85%是男性街友,超過八成的街友住在台灣最大的六個城市,台北市、新北市、桃園、台中、台南及高雄。以我的經驗來說,我在台北的台北車站附近和台中車站附近看過比較多的街友聚集。
台灣的街友其實有工作
台灣的街友大約有七成是有工作的,只是他們大部分沒有固定的工作,台灣的雇主一旦知道他們是街友,沒有固定的住址,大部分都不願意雇用他們,所以他們只能做臨時工領日薪,而這些工作非常需要體力,對許多年紀大的街友來說比較困難。
台灣的街友是什麼樣子的人?
台灣很多街友有家暴的前科,他們年輕的時候會打老婆打小孩,老了打不動,被長大的小孩趕出去。但是也有很多人其實年輕的時候有很好的工作,是老師、醫生、或是自己開公司當老闆,可能因為得到重度憂鬱症、生病、生意失敗或發生重大意外打擊,例如家人因為意外死掉,之後沒辦法振作而變成街友,他們不會吸毒,可能有喝酒或抽菸問題,但並不會故意去傷害路人。
我對於街友的看法
最近台中市政府因為收到台中市民的抱怨,認為街友將台中火車站附近的環境弄髒了,而希望政府能處理,造成政府過度反應,原本一個月會清理一次,現在每天會清理兩次,甚至將部分街友的身分證件丟了,也讓街友們不敢去工作,我個人認為政府其實做的太超過了。我常常在台中的某一條地下道看到不少街友住在那邊,不過他們從來不會向我要錢,只是安靜地待在他們的「家」。我知道許多街友想工作脫離這樣的生活,但卻找不到好工作,雖然台灣大部分的人並不會歧視街友,但街友們的確不容易找工作,而政府也沒有給他們更好的幫助,導致他們沒有家可以住。
街友的主題還可以分享很多內容,但今天我先簡單的介紹一下,希望你喜歡今天的分享!
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本週關鍵字 (Keywords of the Week)
街友(jiēyǒu) - homelessness
遊民(yóumín) - homelessness
臨時工(línshí gōng) - Temporary worker
日薪(rì xīn) - Daily wage
歧視(qíshì) - Discrimination
Hello everyone,
Last time I shared with you about"National Bubble Tea Day," which wasn't originated by Taiwanese people. This week, I came across a piece of news that in Taichung City, the second largest city in Taiwan, in an effort to make the city look better, authorities have started regularly removing belongings of the homeless from the streets, leading to complaints from many homeless individuals. This week, I'd like to talk about the issue of homelessness in Taiwan.
The Term "Homelessness" in Chinese
When it comes to the term "homelessness," there are various translations in Chinese such as 街友 (jiēyǒu), 流浪漢 (liúlàng hàn), 遊民 (yóumín), 無家可歸者 (wújiākěguī zhě), 露宿者 (lùsù zhě), etc. However, in Taiwanese media, "街友" (jiēyǒu) is more commonly used, while the government tends to use "遊民" (yóumín). These terms sound better in Chinese compared to others, and for today, I'll be using "街友(jiēyǒu)".
How Many Homeless People Are There in Taiwan? Where Do They Live?
In Taiwan, according to government statistics, there are approximately around 3000 homeless people, with 85% being male. Over eighty percent of the homeless population resides in the six largest cities in Taiwan: Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. From my experience, I've seen more homeless people congregating near Taipei Main Station and Taichung Station.
Many Homeless People in Taiwan Actually Have Jobs
About seventy percent of Taiwan's homeless population are employed, though most do not have stable jobs. Once employers in Taiwan find out they are homeless and lack a fixed address, most are unwilling to hire them. Therefore, they can only rely on temporary jobs for daily wages, which often require physical labor, making it more challenging for many older homeless individuals.
What Do Homeless People in Taiwan Look Like?
Many of Taiwan's homeless individuals have a history of domestic violence. When they were younger, they might have abused their spouses or children, and when they grew older and couldn't physically abuse anymore, they were kicked out by their grown-up children. However, there are also many who, in their youth, had good jobs such as teachers, doctors, or business owners, but circumstances such as severe depression, illness, business failure, or major accidents like the death of family members led them to become homeless. They do not engage in drug abuse, though some may have alcohol or smoking issues, but they don't intentionally harm passersby.
My Perspective on Homelessness
Recently, due to complaints from citizens of Taichung City, the city government believes that homeless individuals have made the area around Taichung Train Station dirty and have requested the government to take action. This has led to an overreaction from the government; what used to be cleaned once a month is now cleaned twice a day, and some homeless individuals' identification documents have even been discarded, making them afraid to seek employment. Personally, I think the government has gone too far. I often see many homeless people living in a certain underground passage in Taichung, but they never ask me for money; they just quietly stay in their "homes." I know many homeless individuals want to work and get out of their current situation, but they can't find decent jobs. Although most Taiwanese people don't discriminate against the homeless, they indeed face difficulties in finding employment, and the government hasn't provided them with adequate assistance, leaving them without homes.
The topic of homelessness can be explored in many ways, but today I've provided a brief introduction. I hope you enjoyed today's sharing!
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