Thai and Burmese fishing boat workers sit inside a cell at the compound of a fishing company in Benjina. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Another investigation reveals slave labour in seafood industry

THAILAND
Thursday, March 26, 2015, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

It has been found out that some seafood catch obtained in Asian Southeast zones that is shipped back to Thailand and then enters the global commerce stream may come from "slave labourers."

This finding is the result of a year-long investigation carried out by some journalists from The Associated Press (AP), who interviewed more than 40 current and former "slaves" in the Indonesian island village of Benjina, that media source reported.

As part of the investigation, these journalists documented the journey of a single large shipment of "slave-caught" seafood from the Indonesian village, including squid, snapper, grouper and shrimp, and tracked it by satellite to a Thai harbor.

It was also informed that upon the shipment arrival, AP journalists followed trucks that loaded and drove the seafood over four nights to dozens of factories, cold storage plants and the country's biggest fish market.

The slaves interviewed by the AP described 20- to 22-hour shifts and unclean drinking water. Almost all said they were kicked, beaten or whipped with toxic stingray tails if they complained or tried to rest. They were paid little or nothing.

The AP stressed it had notified the International Organization for Migration about the men in the story the media source documented, who were then moved out of Benjina by police for their safety.

At the time, the AP noted that hundreds of slaves remain on the island, and five other men were in a cage.

“In the Indonesian island village of Benjina and the surrounding waters, hundreds of trapped men represent one of the most desperate links criss-crossing between companies and countries in the seafood industry,” the AP article reads.

According to the AP, the seafood caught by slaves forms part of the supply chains of some of America's major grocery stores, such as Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway; the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart; and the biggest food distributor, Sysco.

In addition, the media source stated that it can find its way into the supply chains of some of the most popular brands of canned pet food, including Fancy Feast, Meow Mix and Iams. It can turn up as calamari at fine dining restaurants, as imitation crab in a California sushi roll or as packages of frozen snapper relabeled with store brands that land on consumers’ dinner tables.

The AP reported that slavery labour catch mixes in with other fish at numerous sites in Thailand, including processing plants. US Customs records show that several of those Thai factories ship to America. However, they also ship to Europe and Asia, but the AP traced shipments to the US, where trade records are public.

The AP highlighted that these findings on labour abuse were strongly condemned by major corporations, the National Fisheries Institute, Thai Union Frozen Products PCL (TUF) and the Indonesian Fisheries Ministry.

Following the publication of the article, TUF issued a statement in which it announced that it had ended its business ties with a supplier whose name was not mentioned, after determining that it might be involved in forced labour and other abuses.

"Thai Union embraces AP's finding. It is utterly unacceptable," the company said. "This is to prove that Thai Union takes the issue of human rights violation extremely seriously."

Related articles:

- Thai IUU and modern slavery must be addressed as interconnected issues, EJF says
- Journalistic research reveals 'globalised slavery' in prawn sector
- Thai fishing industry fails to meet labour standards, according to ILO

 
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