Indonesia issues human rights decree for fisheries

The government has issued a ministerial decree in a bid to eradicate human rights violations in the country's fisheries industry.

The decree is Maritime and Fisheries Ministerial Decree No. 2/2017 on a human rights certification mechanism in the fisheries industry.

Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said that the decree would serve as the basis for a certification mechanism to ensure that companies did not violate their workers’ human rights.

The mechanism is being established following a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on human trafficking in Indonesia’s fisheries industry.

“This research report is the only publication that gives a complete and critical picture on human trafficking and forced labor in Indonesia’s fisheries industry,” Susi said during an event to present the report and the ministerial decree on Tuesday.

With this decree, the government will start to require all companies in the fisheries industry to submit detailed reports on their workers' conditions. (dmr)