Alongside other civil society organisations, Human Rights at Sea has decided to lend its support to a group of Indonesian fishers who have filed a human trafficking lawsuit for alledged abusive working conditions.
The group of four fishermen from Indonesia, co-counseled by attorneys for NGO Greenpeace USA, have sued Bumble Bee Foods, claiming they experienced forced labor and human trafficking while working on fishing vessels supplying the company.
The four fishers filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), a law first passed in 2000 to combat forced labor and human trafficking. They allege they experienced both human trafficking and forced labor aboard tuna vessels that provided Bumble Bee Foods with tuna that was later sold in the U.S. Read More (Seafood Source news).
The suit also claims the fishers were subject to physical violence and abuse, including threats against members of the crews’ families.
Letter Text
"We, the undersigned individuals and organizations, stand in solidarity with the fishers who have filed a human trafficking lawsuit against Bumble Bee. The lawsuit alleges that these individuals experienced physical violence, emotional abuse, untreated life-threatening and deformity-causing injuries, debt bondage, excessive working hours, lack of payment, and financial threats against family members of workers, as they caught tuna that was sold by Bumble Bee in the US.
Fishing is one of the most dangerous and isolated work places on the planet and an estimated more than 128,000 fishers are expected to be working in conditions of forced labor. Our oceans are being depleted by overfishing and destructive fishing practices to fuel the $350 billion global seafood industry. These two interlinked problems create a downward spiral for workers and our oceans, including causing adverse impacts for coastal communities globally.
We the undersigned
- condemn human trafficking in the seafood industry – and in all industries;
- stand for the rights of all individuals to seek justice and demand accountability;
- recognize that healthy oceans and decent work are essential and inseparable;
- believe in people over profits. Always."
Signatories
Human Rights at Sea has signed on to the Solidarity with Fishers letter to stand in solidarity with the Indonesian fishers who have filed a human trafficking lawsuit against US canned tuna brand Bumble Bee. The letter is open to individual sign ons as well–and you can choose to have your name listed publicly or kept private. Will you sign today?
First published by Greenpeace as 'Solidarity for Fishers'.
ENDS.
Source: Greenpeace USA, Seafood Source News, Human Rights at Sea
Photo: bayu pamungkas Shutterstock (Representative image only)
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