Negligence, bodily and verbal abuse are widespread in unregulated trade. Now labor teams and authorities officers try to crack down

Labor teams and authorities officers are pushing to rein in rampant abuses of employees within the fishing trade, the place migrant laborers are regularly subjected to slavery and violence from employers.

One out of each 5 fish is caught via unlawful, unreported, and unregulated fishing in situations the place abuses of employees are widespread, in accordance with a United Nations estimate. Some 128,000 workers are regarded as presently trapped in pressured labor on distant fishing vessels world wide, in accordance with the Worldwide Labour Group.

Youngster labor or pressured labor has been documented within the manufacturing of fish, dried fish, shellfish, and shrimp in 20 international locations, in accordance with the US Division of Labor.

In a single case, a employee was blinded in a single eye after a fishing line snapped. He mentioned the ship’s captain pressured him to hold on working as a substitute of looking for medical assist.