Modern Slavery at Sea

Understandably, we all want cheaper food, but the increasing competition within global food markets puts pressure to cut corners and pay below minimum wages to employees.

Some are lured into the fishing industry by false promises of a decent wage and good work

conditions, while others are drugged and awoken aboard a fishing vessel surrounded by

endless, unknown sea. This is the reality for many in South East Asia who have been lured into a cruel form of modern slavery all too common in places like Thailand.

Under threat of violence, confinement, and even death, fishers can work up to 20 hours a

day through wind, rain, sickness, and night. They are often paid little or nothing and provided only meagre rations. They are insulted, beaten, tortured, and many have witnessed an on-board murder of friends aimed at subjugating the other workers.

As is the case in many forms of slavery, it is difficult to identify in the seafood industry

those who are held against their will as opposed to those who are free to leave. Some

workers report being given fake passports with false names and under threat are told to lie

about living conditions if guards or investigators come aboard the ships.

On the island of Benjina in Indonesia, a Thai delegate documented fishing workers and

concluded that “most of the crews are happy” and that “Generally, the boat conditions are

good.”

Later that week, after months of investigation by the Associated Press, Indonesian officials

visited the same island and discovered a very different story. Two men had been

handcuffed together and repeatedly punched in the face and kicked until they collapsed,

while the feared enforcer, paid by the owner of the fishing trawlers, continued to beat the

men terribly. Another man had four teeth missing where a captain had kicked him in the

face, others were emaciated and sick, some had been tasered, others caged, and all were

poor and trapped.

When the call went out for the rescue of the slaves, over 300 men scrambled onto the

seven designated trawlers. Some dove through windows, others came running from the

jungle carrying their few belongings. In the midst of the excitement for the future, there was

also fear. Many had no money to begin life again.

Activist for Labour Rights Protection, Patima Tungpuchayakul says this is a major reason

why former fishing slaves return to the seas after being freed. They simply don’t know

what else to do, and adjusting back into normal life can be difficult after trauma.

It is difficult to track where all the seafood caught by such slaves ends up. However,

through GPS and vehicle tracking, the Associated Press found some of the seafood was

being sold in the US in places such as Walmart, Safeway, and Sysco.

Understandably, we all want cheaper food, but the increasing competition within global

food markets puts pressure on suppliers to cut corners and pay below minimum wages to employees. This fact becomes exaggerated by the greedy owners of fishing trawlers which

results in the exploitation of vulnerable workers. This is why transparency within supply

chains is essential. If consumers demand ethically farmed and caught food, suppliers will

be more inclined to meet this demand.

New Rivers’ mission is to create ethical businesses in slavery prone areas. In doing so, it achieves four main goals: It liberates those enslaved, it provides employment

and prevents desperate actions by those freed, it sets a standard for suppliers and

employers, and it is repeatable. We look forward to continuing this work with you and

seeing many men, women, and children released from bondage.

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