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EVIDENCE | Forced labor, child labor, and/or human trafficking in seafood
| Source | Details |
|---|---|
|
U.S. Department of Labor 2022 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor |
Evidence of forced labor in fish goods, and child and forced labor in shrimp. |
|
U.S. Department of Labor 2021 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor |
Evidence of child labor found in processing shrimp and seafood; and fishing, including work performed in fisheries and on sea vessels. Evidence of forced child labor found in shrimp and seafood processing; fishing, including fisheries. |
|
U.S. Department of State 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report |
Evidence of trafficking in the fishing sector, including forced labor on Thai and foreign-owned fishing boats. Fishermen have experienced non- or under-payment of wages, long working hours, lack of food or medical supplies, physical or verbal abuse, retention of identity documents, and wage deductions. Research indicates that between 14 and 18 percent of migrant fishermen were exploited in the Thai fishing industry. |
|
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Seafood Social Risk Tool Profile |
Evidence identified at the seafood-industry and processing level in the Thailand country risk profile. |
| Additional civil society organization reports documenting human rights abuses: |
|---|
|
2020, International Labor Rights Forum, Time for a Sea Change: Why union rights for migrant workers are needed to prevent forced labor in the Thai seafood industry 2020, OxFam, Falling Through the Net: A Survey of Basic Labour Rights Among Migrants Working in Thailand’s Fishing Sector 2019, Issara Institute, Labour Risks in the Thai and Indonesian Fishing Industries 2019, Environmental Justice Foundation, Blood and Water 2019, Humanity United and The Freedom Fund, Tracking Progress: Assessing Business Responses to Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in the Thai Seafood Industry 2018, Human Rights Watch, Hidden Chains: Rights Abuses and Forced Labor in Thailand’s Fishing Industry 2018, Issara Institute, Eliminating Human Trafficking from the Thai Fishing Industry |
| 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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