Beyond the Reach of Labor Laws China ratified the Maritime Labor Convention last year; Hong Kong is yet to do so. Jason Lam, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Inspector in Hong Kong, talks about the union’s role in wage negotiations, how the MLC is raising conditions for many seafarers and why others are beyond...
The HRAS Interview: Keeping Children Out of Piracy A much needed first step has been taken to raise awareness of the horrific abuse of children in piracy. The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative began academic research, in collaboration with Human Rights at Sea, the Dalhousie University Marine Piracy Project and the 100 Series Rules,...
HRAS Interview: Escaping the Tiger, Then Meeting the Crocodile Thousands of migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos cross the border into Thailand each year. They trade poverty at home for the possibility of relative prosperity abroad. A Thai proverb – escaping from the tiger, then meeting the crocodile – describes the fate of...
Sailing War Zones and Cultural Conflicts Veterinarian Dr Lynn Simpson is a veteran of Australia’s live export trade and a veteran of Red Sea and Persian Gulf voyages delivering sheep and cattle to the Middle East. She speaks to HRAS about her experiences sailing with a mix of cultures on board through...
Being The Only Woman On Board The first thing veterinarian Dr Lynn Simpson did before boarding the livestock carriers that she worked on for the first time was to slip on a wedding ring. Even though she wasn’t married, it helped to deter unwanted attention from the men she encountered at sea...
Mediterranean Migrants: Becoming Part of the System At sea, rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, 25-year-old Giorgia Linardi met a woman that reminder of her mother. Like her mother, the woman was a doctor, a specialist; their ages were similar. But, unlike her mother, this woman had lost her family, her home, had no phone...
Business and Human Rights: Is the cup half full or half empty? Mauricio Lazala, Deputy Director of the world’s largest NGO working exclusively on business and human rights issues, has seen an amazing take-up of human rights issues amongst multi-national corporations over the last 10 years, but the NGO still reports abuses on a...
The HRAS Interview with Dean Summers of ITF Australia Slave Ship; Death Ship; Summers Wants Change In August 2015, ITF Australia coordinator, and fourth-generation seafarer, Dean Summers swum the English Channel to raise money for a charity that supports seafarers. HRAS spoke to him after this marathon effort to find out why he dedicates...
Human Rights at Sea presents a new platform feature: ‘The HRAS Interview’. This supporting site will provide the reader with an insight into the lives, actions and successes of individuals whose stories will inspire, challenge perceptions and who have positively contributed to the maritime environment in respect of the lives of seafarers, fishermen and...