EVIDENCE | Forced labor, child labor, and/or human trafficking in seafood
| Source | Details |
|---|---|
|
U.S. Department of Labor 2024 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor |
Evidence of child and forced child labor in dried fish goods, and child labor in shrimp. |
|
U.S. Department of Labor 2024 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
Categorical worst forms of child labor: evidence forced child labor in the drying of fish. Evidence of child labor found in fishing, including drying and processing fish, and in the shrimp sector. |
|
U.S. Department of State 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report |
Evidence of trafficking in the shrimp and fish processing industries, dry fish production, and fishing industry. Evidence of forced labor and trafficked child labor in dry fish processing. Children work on fishing vessels and doing dangerous jobs in the fishing industry. |
|
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Seafood Social Risk Tool Profile |
Evidence of human trafficking and forced labor on Bangladeshi shrimp farms, evidence of hazardous child labor in shrimp farming (wild fry catching), and in forced labor of adult and children in shrimp processing. |
| Additional civil society organization reports documenting human rights abuses: |
|---|
| Risk Factor | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Flag of Convenience (International Transport Workers Federation) | No | Flags of Convenience are connected to the occurrence of human trafficking and forced labor in fishing. Vessels registered to Flag of Convenience states may lack a legitimate connection to the flag state and may be subject to less rigorous management and oversight by the flag state. |
| Active yellow or red card for failing to tackle illegal fishing (European Union) | No | The European Union gives countries yellow and red cards for failing in their requirements under international law to take action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. There is evidence linking IUU fishing to an increased risk of human trafficking and forced labor on board fishing vessels. |
| Failure to ratify key treaties and international labor conventions |
Ratifying key treaties and international labor conventions indicates a country’s commitment to uphold international standards.
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