「我覺得我就是個『外人』,媳婦的外、外國人的外。…先生倒下之後,夫家家人也不會給予我精神上的安慰或鼓勵…」
前言
根據內政部移民署2023年的新住民生活調查報告，三成九的新住民在台居住超過20年，14.2%為55歲以上，新住民進入中老年生涯，所面臨的問題隨之不同，像是長期照顧。自2007年起，台灣開始推行「長期照顧十年計畫1.0」，希望建構完整的長期照顧體系，保障身心功能障礙者獲得適切的服務， 2015年《長期照顧服務法》立法之後，自2017年起推動「長期照顧十年計畫2.0」，預算從2016年近50億元，增加到2024年超過800億，除布建居家式、社區式及住宿式服務外，也推動長照給付及支付新制與社區整體照顧服務體系，廣泛照顧不同需求的民眾。
長照服務法制化並發展多元服務體系，長照不再只是一項計畫型施政，不會因為資源不足或人事更迭時，有所變動，同時也等於宣示，長照不再是個別家庭的問題，國家應負起的責任，已明確立法規範，長期照顧責任不再家庭化；然而，照顧雖已趨向公共化，移民家庭在照顧問題上，彷彿仍在社會邊緣。
婚姻移民(現在經常被稱為新住民)在還沒成為被照顧者之前，更多的承擔是，她們是家庭中的照顧者，《長照法》的立法重點包括，將「家庭照顧者」納入長照服務對象，定義為：於家庭中對失能者提供規律性照顧之主要親屬或家人，並依據其需求提供多項服務，其次，為兼顧多元差異，明定不得有差別待遇的歧視行為，並在立法理由中闡述內涵。移民女性照顧者，理應受到政策法令的服務，但法令的不友善，卻反而造成許多的排除。
台灣多數的婚姻移民因為外籍，女性及媳婦三種身分的重疊，當家庭面對照顧議題時，很容易成為理所當然的主要照顧者，也常見到台灣家庭在尋覓外籍配偶進入家庭時，就為滿足家庭內的照顧需求，形成「照顧婚姻」模式。當長照不再是個別家庭責任，照顧者及被照顧者同為服務對象，以及不得因居住地、性別、種族、國籍及宗教等差異而有歧視，這些進步性立法又如何落實在新住民家庭？
南洋台灣姊妹會經過深度訪談研究發現，許多婚姻移民來到台灣之後，她們因為在家庭中作為「媳婦」的角色，在社會文化框架的「期待」下，坐入了家庭主要「照顧者」的位置。因此，極大比例的移民女性長年填補了台灣家庭照顧勞動力的不足，讓政府不必面對更大的長照壓力。只是，當她們年歲漸長，當她們需要被他人照顧的一天到來，台灣的長照體系似乎還沒準備好看見她們的需求。
隨著婚姻移民在台灣的時間增加，她們所遇到的生活情境和需求也隨之改變。這些來自東南亞的婚姻移民女性，從一開始來台灣後所面臨的語言和文化適應之外，還要重新適應新的社會環境。可悲的是，即便她們在台灣生活多年，已經成為台灣人的母親、妻子，甚至成為了家庭中的主要照顧者，無怨無悔地照顧生病的「台灣家人」多年，只要沒有取得台灣的國籍，她們仍然面臨著一系列的限制與挑戰。這些限制影響她們能否充分使用台灣的社會福利制度，特別是長期照顧和社會救助資源，當她們的家庭陷入困難，或她們自己生病需要照顧時，這些問題都讓婚姻移民與其家人的處境，變得更加迫切與棘手。
接下來，我們將針對婚姻移民在台灣面臨的挑戰進行更深入的分析，著重於《長期照顧服務法》施行現況的不足如何影響婚姻移民的生活與福利服務的取得。我們訪談婚姻移民女性的照顧經驗，探討她們在台灣家庭中所承擔的照顧責任，無論是「被迫」或「自願」成為家庭照顧者的角色，這些女性在照顧過程中所面臨的壓力和挑戰也將被仔細檢視。我們將從各領域專家的觀點切入，綜合婚姻移民的實際經驗，分析台灣家庭照顧系統中的不足之處，尤其是婚姻移民女性如何在家庭結構中被視為免費的照顧資源。
這些分析將為我們提供對台灣現行長照政策實踐現況的了解，並探討如何確保婚姻移民女性能夠平等享有應有的長期照顧資源，不僅是保障婚姻移民女性的基本權益，更是期待使台灣社會百萬跨國婚姻家庭人口在長照支持系統獲得支持。
Executive Summary
This research focuses on the rights and welfare of older women marriage migrants in Taiwan, exploring the challenges they encounter in accessing long-term care policies and social assistance programs. Since the mid-1980s, the number of marriage migrants in Taiwan has significantly increased due to growing socioeconomic disparities between Southeast Asian countries and Taiwan. This increase has been particularly driven by the demand for foreign brides among men from working-class and rural backgrounds. Despite their important contributions to Taiwan’s social fabric, these women marriage migrants often struggle to access basic rights and social support due to systemic discrimination.
The goal of this research is to examine the laws and policies affecting the rights of middle-aged and older women marriage migrants,analyse how these regulations impact their lives and their families, and propose recommendations for future policy reforms. The research employed various methods to gather a wide range of information, including in-depth interviews with women marriage migrants, their children, social workers, and care-related experts; focus-group discussion; public forums, and interviews via podcast programs. The findings reveal that these older women marriage migrants face numerous barriers, particularly related to nationality, when trying to access social assistance and long-term care resources, making it difficult for them to enter the social welfare system.
The research found that women marrying migrants without Taiwanese citizenship are excluded from essential social welfare benefits under the Public Assistance Act and the Long-Term Care Services Act. Although they often serve as the primary caregivers within their families, many women lack decision-making power in the household. They also face cultural and language barriers, which further complicate their caregiving roles and hinder their ability to access the resources they need. The research highlights the urgent need for policy reforms to address these systemic inequalities and improve the rights and welfare of women marriage migrants.
In conclusion, the research calls for a more inclusive approach to Taiwan’s social welfare and long-term care policies. Citizenship should not be tied to welfare rights, and the unique circumstances and experiences of these women marriage migrants should be recognized, as many of them are mothers of Taiwanese children, and most importantly, they are an integral part of Taiwanese families and societies. The government should acknowledge the contributions of marriage migrants to society and ensure they have fair access to public services. By shedding light on the lived experiences of these women, the research aims to inform advocacy efforts and drive institutional improvements for marriage migrants and their families in Taiwan.