International law plays a key role in the seafood supply chain. The challenge lies in how we can use social indicators in the fishing industry to create effective tools for monitoring labor conditions. These indicators help ensure fair labor practices and improve conditions for workers across the globe.
Who Is Responsible for Labor Exploitation in the Fishing Industry?
When international laws collide, responsibility becomes unclear. For shrimp peeling farms and aquaculture, ILO Conventions (including the Forced Labour Convention), human rights instruments, and even the Trafficking in Persons Protocol apply. When we examine labor conditions on fishing vessels, maritime labor laws and the laws of the sea come into play. Who is accountable for human rights abuses on fishing vessels, especially in the high seas?
What Happens at Sea Shouldn’t Stay There
Exploited workers at sea are not beyond the law’s reach. They fall under a complex network of legal protections, but translating international standards into domestic law is difficult. The main task involves extracting social indicators in the fishing industry that can monitor labor conditions.
International law provides benchmarks for identifying unacceptable acts and distinguishing between poor labor conditions and criminal acts. In the seafood industry, forced labor and human trafficking often go hand in hand.
Modern-Day Slavery: A Hidden Issue
The term “modern-day slavery” does not exist in international law. However, the 1926 Slavery Convention defines slavery as the condition of a person subjected to the right of ownership. Though this definition is outdated, it helps identify exploitative conditions in today’s world. In the seafood industry, traffickers often force people into labor, even if they were not trafficked. Forced labor, as defined by the ILO Forced Labour Convention (No. 29), involves work extracted under threat or coercion. International law prohibits child labor in the seafood industry.
Moreover, international law mandates non-discrimination. It ensures migrant workers in the seafood industry receive the same treatment as others, regardless of their migration status.
The Standard for Decent Seafood
For the seafood industry to be ethical, it must uphold the concept of “decent” working conditions, as defined by international law. By examining international standards, we can identify what we must demand from supply chains to ensure the fair treatment of workers.
Extracting Social Indicators for the Fishing Industry
The next challenge is to translate international standards into social indicators in the fishing industry that are measurable and applicable both on land and at sea. These indicators can help improve working conditions and empower stakeholders to take action.
