“Without labor, nothing prospers.” — Sophocles

This quote was penned by one of the ancient world’s most prolific writers, celebrated for his great tragedies that provided invaluable insight into the political and social climate of that time.

Centuries later, this particular quote by Sophocles continues to evoke wisdom, inspiring many to value hard work and perseverance in order to achieve success in life.

But sometimes, no matter how much one labors, it ends up in vain. I speak for those who work in certain industries where human rights and labor abuses persist even in today’s digital age.

To celebrate International Human Rights Day, Greenpeace Southeast Asia is releasing a new report that sheds light on the different facets of deception and exploitation as told by migrant fishers from Indonesia and the Philippines — stories of backbreaking work in harsh working conditions that may very-well be called "modern slavery".

The report, called Seabound: The Journey to Modern Slavery on the High Seas, raises the varied but interrelated issues concerning many distant water fishing operations, particularly foreign owned distant water fishing fleets where most Indonesian and Filipino fishing migrants end up working, according to the Taiwan Fisheries Agency.

Despite the vulnerable status of global oceans — heavily exploited and nearly overfished — the fishing industry remains one of the most profitable, valued at around US$153 billion annually. To sustain it, the industry often depends on a reliable workforce of cheap labor — mostly poor migrant fishers in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, many of them claim to have been victims of false recruitment or subjected to poor working conditions that enable rights and labor abuses to occur out at sea.

Overexploitation of coastal water resources and dwindling fish populations compel the industry to increase fishing efforts in the high seas, which often results in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. As such, higher operating costs that increases the possibilities of exploitation of migrant fishers who stay at sea for long periods of time, an International Labor Organization report says.

The fact that high seas fishing operations take place so far from shore creates perfect conditions for slavery-like practices, according to ILO and the Walk Free Foundation, to continue unreported and unmonitored.

Many of the cases documented in this research occur onboard longline vessels, where working conditions are among the most labor intensive. Workers are required to place the bait on each hook. After that, hauling of the catch entails another physically draining challenge as migrant fishers have to remove the tuna from the line one by one. It is no surprise then that for two years now, industrial fishing has been ranked the second most dangerous job in the world.

Central to this report are the 13 suspected foreign fishing vessels where 34 Indonesian migrant fishers have reported conditions which suggest signs of forced labor.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia, with the help of Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI), uncovered patterns that suggest debt bondage. By analyzing contracts, letters of guarantee and related documents, the report reveals a dark pattern of recruitment and how Indonesian migrant fishers end up grossly underpaid.

By the fishers’ own accounts, lured by promises of higher wages, many find themselves indebted to shady brokers and employment agencies. Through salary deductions, as indicated in their payment schedules, Indonesian migrant fishers are reportedly asked to pay “guarantee deposits” and “processing costs”, far in excess of the amounts they were expecting, for the first six to eight months of their employment.

One Indonesian migrant fisher onboard a Taiwanese owned fishing vessel claimed to have not received any salary for the first six months, while another Indonesian migrant fisher onboard another similar fishing vessel reportedly received only $50 in the first four months.

Apart from testimonials on unfair wages, the report also narrates various incidents of physical and mental abuses reportedly suffered by migrant fishers onboard. Allegations include constant beatings by the Captain, of crew members being forced to work extremely overtime, or of migrant fishers not being fed or given water to drink.

These are just some of the usual scenarios at sea endured by some of the region’s migrant fishers — everyday tragedies that would probably make old Sophocles’ heart to break into a million pieces. It is unfathomable that modern slavery exists to this day in robust Southeast Asia.

National and international laws are supposed to address such abhorrent practices — if they are strictly observed. But gaps in the laws and in their implementation, coupled with the relevant authorities’ lack of sense of responsibility, allow for IUU fishing and modern slavery to continue on.

Governments must first be held accountable and take proactive steps in addressing the issues with concrete policies and programs, including stronger enforcement of laws to protect their citizens working even in the remotest corners of the world.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia strongly emphasizes the need for all 10 ASEAN member states, particularly Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, to take concrete policy actions to address the labor and environmental issues cited in the report. Of utmost importance is for Indonesia and the Philippine governments to ratify and implement the ILO (C-188) Work in Fishing Convention as a matter of urgency.

A society that values human and labor rights, environmental sustainability and food security should take stock of the very real-life events that take place before food is served to our tables. Modern slavery should have no place in Southeast Asia or anywhere else on the planet.

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