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 forced labor in shrimp sector. |
|
U.S. Department of Labor 2024 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
No evidence reported in the seafood sector |
|
U.S. Department of State 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report |
Evidence of exploitative conditions in aquaculture facilities creating debt bondage, especially among migrant workers and scheduled castes. |
|
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Seafood Social Risk Tool Profile |
Evidence of forced labor and hazardous child labor in parts of India's shrimp aquaculture industry, and multiple indicators of forced labor in India's shrimp processing sector. |
| 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.
|