Illegal fishing activities. (Photo Copyright: EJF)

EJF recommends further steps against IUU fishing and slave labour

THAILAND
Thursday, April 14, 2016, 01:20 (GMT + 9)

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has welcomed the commitment shown by the Royal Thai Government (RTG) to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing issues, and the associated human rights abuses and human trafficking in the Thai seafood sector.

The NGO informed that the current efforts to deal with these issues were discussed at a meeting held by the RTG in early April in Bangkok, which was attended by the NGO’s Executive Director Steve Trent and a team from the entity as well as Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan and other senior government representatives.

EJF acknowledges that some significant progress has been achieved so far, particularly in the reform of Thailand’s fisheries laws. For instance, a Vessel Monitoring System has been created that has strong potential to track Thai fishing vessels and port inspections have been implemented on vessels leaving and entering Thai ports.

However, it considers that key improvements are needed in the breadth, effectiveness and uniform application of these and other fishery controls.

In this regard, EJF presented Thai officials with a series of recommendations setting these out and stressed that Thailand has also been strongly encouraged to complete the ratification and implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement, an international treaty designed to stop IUU fish entering ports and gaining access to markets.

It is the NGO’s view that in order to adequately address the human trafficking, forced, bonded and slave labour situation, additional legislative measures are required.

EJF recommends that the RTG takes steps for the near-term signing and ratification of ILO Convention C188 to improve labour conditions on Thai vessels, as well as Conventions C87 and C98, which would enable the largely migrant workforce on Thai vessels freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The NGO also recommends an urgent investment in translation and language capabilities of Thai officials responsible for investigating labor abuses, as part of a broader move to a victim-centered approach to these investigations.

“While several steps and reforms have been introduced, wider and more structural measures are required to guarantee that the ongoing issues and remaining gaps can be sustainably resolved,” expressed Trent in a press release.

He also commented that EJF has produced extensive documentation of the human rights issues in Thailand’s fisheries and its most recent report Thailand’s Seafood Slaves highlighted how forced, bonded, trafficked and slave labour remains an integral part of Thailand’s seafood industry.

Finally, he recalled that the EU issued Thailand a yellow card for its insufficient measures to address IUU fishing and is in the process of reviewing the carding status.

Related articles:

- New effort to combat labour abuse in Thai fishing sector
- Obama tightens restrictions to prevent slave labour seafood entry
- NGOs urge EU to put pressure on Thailand
- Thai Union launches consultation on sea sustainability strategy
- Govt seeks to regulate the fishing industry with firm hand

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