A joint U.S. government report to Congress detailing human trafficking in the seafood supply chain points to the serious problem of forced labor in China’s fishing sector.
To address human trafficking in the seafood industry, including forced labor, a report to Congress by the U.S. Department of State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists countries with human trafficking in the seafood catching and processing industries and provides detailed descriptions, risk assessments and recommendations.
The report notes that the fishing industry is inherently high risk for human trafficking. The work is considered dangerous and often relies heavily on low-skilled migrants who are vulnerable to trafficking. Fishing is also inherently solitary, with vessels sometimes at sea for months to years, making it impossible for trafficked persons to escape or report abuse. Emotional and physical abuse can sometimes lead to death. The industry also suffers from excessive overtime, poor living conditions, and the use of deception or coercive recruitment practices. Victims of human trafficking in the fishing industry also face unpaid work or low income. Corruption, crime, violence, political instability, and high levels of poverty in countries with weak legal protections for civil liberties and workers’ rights increase the risk of human trafficking. Illegal recruiters, unscrupulous boat captains and human traffickers take advantage of these conditions to commit fraud, deception and violence.
The report lists the 29 countries most at risk of human trafficking in the seafood sector, documents the volume and value of seafood imported from each listed country, and discusses programs to trace seafood from each listed country.
In particular, the report notes that China is a leading country in the use of forced labor in the fisheries sector, with numerous reports of Chinese flagged and Chinese owned vessels around the world. China has the largest fishing fleet in the world with a wide variety of vessels operating on the high seas and in the exclusive economic zones of countries around the world. Most of the crew on board are migrants from Indonesia and the Philippines, with some from Africa and other Asian countries. According to media reports, there have been several incidents of forced labor on Chinese fishing vessels. Workers have reported excessive working hours, poor living conditions, months to years of isolation at sea, verbal and physical abuse, and non-payment of wages. Some crew members have died as a result of the abuses. Some workers are recruited through deceptive means and are often required to pay recruitment fees and sign debt contracts. The report states that the Chinese fishing fleet conducts a large number of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing operations around the world. Crew members are forced to participate in illegal fishing activities. Fisheries watchers report that China’s fisheries are poorly regulated, putting fishermen at increased risk of forced labor.
The report makes ten recommendations for the U.S. government’s current efforts to combat human trafficking in the seafood industry, including legislative and administrative actions. Recommendations include outreach to listed countries, promotion of global product traceability and international initiatives to address human trafficking, and increased cooperation with industry to address human trafficking in the seafood supply chain.
The report notes that the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and State and Treasury have joined forces to take action in hopes of ending human trafficking in the fishing industry and ensuring that products produced using forced labor do not enter the U.S. market.
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