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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 2:58 am
Time: 2:58 am
Results for trafficked labor
1 results foundAuthor: Issara Institute Title: Not in the Same Boat: Prevalence and Patterns of Labour Abuse Across Thailand's Diverse Fishing Industry Summary: Thailand, as the world's third-largest seafood exporter, exported 1.7 million tons of seafood globally in 2014, valued at over US $6.7 billion. A total of 42,512 active Thai fishing vessels were recorded in 2014, catching 1.34 million tons of seafood and employing 172,430 fishermen, 82% of whom were migrant workers. It is recognized that a significant but unknown proportion of the Thai fishing fleet has been comprised of unregistered fishing vessels, which may not be fully captured in government statistics. Investigative journalists and advocacy-oriented NGOs have conveyed a picture of work on Thai fishing vessels as being fraught with daily violence, extreme working conditions, debt bondage, and threats to life. However, the data collected by these efforts has not allowed for a clear measure of magnitude and severity of the labour conditions across the entire Thai fishing fleet. In order to gain a more nuanced and objective understanding of the patterns of labour recruitment and management on Thai fishing vessels, Issara Institute designed and implemented a representative survey of trafficking and exploitation on Thai fishing vessels, as a part of its larger body of work in this industry, with support from International Justice Mission and Walmart Foundation. An Issara Institute field research team conducted structured surveys with 260 Burmese and Cambodian fishermen across 20 key Thai fishing localities in 2016 - Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Ranong, Samut Sakhon, and Songkhla - collecting information on 434 fishing jobs they had held in the past five years. 248 of these 260 interviews were eligible for further analysis of the prevalence of trafficking into the Thai fishing industry in the past five years (fishing between March 2011 and March 2016). After presenting the research methodology and profile of the fishermen in the sample, this paper presents three key analyses: the first explores the means of control and exploitation of Burmese and Cambodian fishermen on Thai fishing vessels, providing a nuanced picture of the nature of exploitation at sea. The second analysis applies rigorous statistical modeling methods to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking in the Thai fishing industry, as well as key risk factors. The third analysis explores differences in risky labour practices across different types of commercial fishing vessels in the Thai fishing industry, in recognition of how the diversity of fishing operations and gear creates variation in working conditions, treatment, and other key aspects of work. Key findings of the three analyses include: -Illegal overwork and underpay seem to be the norm, with 74.2% of respondents reporting working at least 16 hours per day, and only 11% of the sample receiving more than 9,000 Baht per month, the legal monthly minimum wage in Thailand. 96.1% reported having to work overtime regularly, but only 3.8% reported ever receiving overtime pay; -The reported average pay received monthly, inclusive of all overtime and deductions, was 5,957 Baht/month (US $166.80). -18.1% of fishermen interviewed reported experiencing physical violence while working on the fishing vessels; this abuse was three times more likely to occur on boats that transshipped catch at sea; further, 100% of fishermen on boats that transshipped crew suffered physical abuse; -76% of fishermen interviewed had been in debt bondage; -37.9% of fishermen interviewed were clearly trafficked, while an additional 49.2% were possibly trafficked; 12.9% of the sample reported fair labour conditions at sea and experiencing no exploitative recruitment; -Burmese and Cambodian fishermen on vessels that also had Thai general (non-supervisory) crew were over 70 times more likely to be exploited and abused than Burmese and Cambodian fishermen on boats without Thai crew; and, -Trafficking cases were 11 times more likely to be found on trawlers, as compared with purse seine and other vessel types, and pair trawlers had nearly double the number of physical abuse cases (29.4%) as single trawlers (16.9%). In line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (also known as the Ruggie Principles), global brands, retailers and importers, Thai-based businesses, government, and civil society all have constructive roles to play to address and improve the working environment in the Thai fishing industry. Fundamentally, there is a need to drive behavior change among vessel owners, boat captains, and net supervisors, as well as among government duty bearers. Identifying incentives and disincentives to bring about desired changes is critical to achieving industry-wide change - specifically, legal and fair business operations, monitored improvements verified by workers, and enforcement of laws - all leading to the elimination of labour exploitation. Three categories of recommendations are provided - international responses, law enforcement and regulatory responses, and on-the-ground responses - with clear, constructive roles that can be played by civil society, governments (source and destination), local business (suppliers and recruitment agencies), and global business. It is hoped that this study, and the voices and experiences of the 260 men contributing to this study, can make a meaningful contribution to efforts to drive improvements in the Thai seafood industry, informing policy, programming, and responsible sourcing. Details: Bangkok, Thailand: Issara Institute, 2017. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 27, 2019 at: https://www.ijm.org/documents/studies/IJM-Not-In-The-Same-Boat.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Thailand URL: https://globalinitiative.net/not-in-the-same-boat-prevalence-patterns-of-labor-abuse-across-thailands-diverse-fishing-industry/ Shelf Number: 156718 Keywords: Exploited Labor Fishing Industry Human Rights Abuses Labor Exploitation Migrant Labor Physical Abuse Seafood Industry Trafficked Labor |