Thailand's seafood industry: state-sanctioned slavery?

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'It was torture': Grim tales in Thai fishing sector despite reforms
Beh Lih Yi
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January 23, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Trafficked into work and routinely abused, migrant fishermen in Thailand are still subject to forced labor despite efforts by the government to clean up the industry, advocacy groups said on Tuesday.

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Migrant workers prepare to unload their catch at a port in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, January 22, 2018.
Picture taken January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha2.jpg
Migrant workers sort fish and seafood unloaded from a fishing ship at a port in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, January 22, 2018. Picture taken January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

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Human Rights Watch: Thailand is failing to combat human trafficking
Talal Husseini
Talal is a reporter for the Verdict network focusing on the food supply chain and related political, health and environmental issues[Working in the Thai fishing industry] was torture. One time I was so tired I fell off the boat, but they pulled me back on-board.

Pattani resident Thet Phyo Lin said:



Thai government efforts

International response
[HRW] are not calling for a ban on imports now, but if the Thai government does not make sufficient progress in the coming year and labour conditions are as bad as they are now, we would start calling for a red card.

If the EU moves to ban seafood from Thailand it could have a serious impact on the Thai fishing industry.

Adams said:

The [Thai fishing association] would look for other markets obviously but the markets will be saturated so it will have a devastating effect on the Thai fishing industry and I think it would lead to concerted action by the Thai fishing association to clean up their act.foodprocessing-technology.com. You can read it here

verdict.co.uk

[Sophia78]

There have been reports and allegations of human rights abuses, including forced labor and human trafficking, in Thailand's seafood industry. Some workers, many of whom are migrants from neighboring countries, have been subjected to long hours, low pay, poor working conditions, and physical abuse. Additionally, some workers have reported being coerced into working on fishing boats and being subjected to violence or being held captive.
These reports have led to concerns about the state of labor rights in Thailand's seafood industry, and some have characterized the situation as state-sanctioned slavery. The Thai government has taken steps to address these concerns, including implementing new labor laws and regulations and increasing enforcement of existing laws. However, critics argue that more needs to be done to ensure that workers' rights are protected and that human rights abuses are not tolerated in the industry.