Yesterday the EU Rapporteur on Frontex, Mrs. Tineke Strik published her Report on the fact-finding investigation on Frontex concerning alleged fundamental rights violations, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Category: International Issues
Death at Sea. Independent Case Review of Kiribati Fisheries Observer Eritara Aati Kaierua
London. UK. Following a 12-month investigation into the death of Kiribati fisheries observer, Eritara Aati Kaierua, onboard the Taiwanese flagged WIN FAR 636 fishing vessel, Human Rights at Sea publishes an independent case review which explores in detail the incident in March 2020 from the family's perspective having reviewed all publicly-available information as well as evidence collated by the family, supporting organisations, lawyers and the charity.
Report highlights important gaps in company efforts to address modern slavery in Pacific tuna fisheries
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) published its new briefing and platform – “All at sea: An evaluation of company efforts to address modern slavery in Pacific supply chains of canned tuna”.
UN World Oceans Day 2021 Theme: The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods
The United Nations has designated 8 June as World Oceans Day. The World Oceans Day is a day for humanity to celebrate the ocean. This year's theme is " The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods". In celebration and support of the life and livelihood that the ocean sustains, UNWOD 2021 will feature keynotes, panel discussions and presentations that spotlight biodiversity, latest oceanic discoveries, the interconnectivity between the ocean and its ecosystems, and more.
International Women’s Day 2021 – #ChooseToChallenge
Today marks International Women Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity, which in the case of the maritime industry, remains an issue not yet satisfactorily tackled. Achieving gender parity in the maritime industry will require addressing conscious and unconscious gender biases.
The Right to Life: Italy found by UN in violation of the right to life of Migrants at Sea
the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC), the treaty body responsible for the monitoring of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, found Italy in violation of its obligations under the Covenant in particular in violation of the right to life as provided in Article 6 of the ICCPR read alone, and in conjunction with Article 2 (3), in the context of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations of migrants at sea. According to the HRC, Italy delayed and failed to actively provide rescue to 200 migrants on the high seas.
The Lloyd’s List Podcast: Why shipping still needs to focus on human rights at sea
London. UK. Listen to the latest Lloyds List podcast with Editor Richard Meade and CEO David Hammond discussing the issue of human rights and welfare challenges in the shipping industry, the role of the charitable NGO, its challenges and its successes.
Global Fishing Watch satellite data sheds light on slavery at sea
Press Release Tuesday 22 December London. UK. Vessels known to have crew that are subject to forced labor behave in systematically different ways to the rest of the global fishing fleet, reveals a new paper published today in the scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The discovery was used to build a...
Reports of human rights abuse towards Indonesian fishers increasing
London. UK. Increasing numbers of cases of human and labour rights abuse towards Indonesian fishers on foreign flagged vessels are coming to light. Most recently, international NGOs, including Human Rights at Sea, have been contacted with evidence highlighting the fishers' plight, the poor working conditions in which they are forced to work and allegations of ill-treatment resulting in deaths at sea.
Insight Briefing Note: Slavery at Sea and Emperors of the Deep
London. UK. / New York. USA. Human Rights at Sea today publishes the latest in its series of Insight Briefing Notes looking at the work by US-based film-maker, author and ocean conservationist William McKeever into the issues of slavery at sea, working conditions, the need for fisheries observers, and the effects on the shark fishing and shark fin trade.
Joint Press Statement of Dominica Flag Administration and Human Rights at Sea on MT GULF SKY – 21 July 2020
London. UK. / Fairhaven. MA. USA. Human Rights at Sea and the Dominica Flag State Administration remain closely engaged in the background investigations into the incident of the hijacking of the MT GULF SKY (IMO 9150377) on 5/6 July 2020 from UAE to Iranian waters, which later saw 26 of the 28 crew who had been deprived of their liberty and threatened with being shot during the ordeal, repatriated to India. This has included close engagement with the UAE Federal Transport Authority.
Joint Press Statement of Dominica Flag Administration and Human Rights at Sea on MT GULF SKY – 15 July 2020
Joint Press Release Immediate 15 July 2020 London. UK / Fairhaven/MA. USA. Following the rapidly emerging case of the alleged kidnap of 28 Indian seafarers of the MT Gulf Sky the evening of 5 July 2020 by unknown persons and their forced transfer to Iranian waters, resulting, at the time of writing, in 26 seafarers being...
Human Rights at Sea Welcomes WWF Statement
London.UK. Human Rights at Sea welcomes and supports the WWF statement on the issue of Human Rights Abuses at Sea published on the 3rd of July 2020. The full Statement can be read here and it is also replicated below: "WWF is committed to building a future where human well-being and nature conservation go hand-in-hand. Tens of millions of people work in this sector, either at capture, during processing or as part of scientific data collection. Observers are vulnerable at sea because the data they collect affects the stock assessments and various verification and/or certification processes – leaving them potential targets for intimidation and abuse, as has been reported in relation to some fishing vessels.
180 survivors on board the Ocean Viking without a designated port for disembarkation
Press Release Thursday 2 July 2020 HRAS. LONDON. The team of SOS MEDITERRANEE has rescued 180 people in four different operations in five days within the Maltese and Italian Search and Rescue Regions. The first two rescues occurred one week ago today. There are presently 180 survivors on the Ocean Viking, including 2 women, 25...
COVID-19: Master takes Resolute Stand to Assure Crew’s Safety and Welfare
"The case highlights a number of wider issues which may well shape future conduct of business in light of the emerging and the indisputable threat to life of the COVID-19 virus." London. UK. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while ship owners and charterers continue with daily business undertaking charter-parties for the movement of goods around the globe, the effects of the coronavirus crisis are increasingly highlighting new management challenges and competing interests between commercial imperatives to deliver contracts, and the health, safety and welfare of crew.
