In response to the complaint of Indonesian migrant fishers work on the Chinese fishing vessel Liao Yuan Yu 103, where they described appalling working condition onboard of the vessel and asked for their immediate rescue by Indonesian authorities, Afdillah, Oceans Campaigner of Greenpeace Indonesia said:
“In the past six years, Greenpeace Indonesia and Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) have received 338 labor abuse complaints of Indonesian migrant fishers onboard foreign fishing vessels. It is important to note that this kind of case is recurring because of the lack of proactive and effective actions taken by Indonesian government in the last five years to address the issues. Based on our years of research and investigation on the issues, we have concluded that the Indonesian government has failed to fulfil their responsibility to strengthen and implement the regulatory framework to protect Indonesian migrant fishers from forced labour and human trafficking practices, practically since they are being recruited by Indonesian manning agencies. Case by case reactions are not good enough!
“We ask Indonesian government, led by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), to immediately conduct proactive global identification, monitoring and surveillance on global distant water fishing (DWF) fleets where Indonesian migrant fishers are being employed. It is highly possible to do so by establishing effective partnership and joint inspection with flag states, coastal states, port states as well as with international institutions and civil societies to save Indonesian migrant fishers from further derogatory treatment and human exploitation. By undertaking such global effort, the Indonesian government may be able to redeem their past failures in dealing with these issues.
“We strongly believe that proactive actions led by Indonesian government to protect and fulfil the rights of Indonesian migrant fishers will also contribute significantly to reveal and to reduce IUU and destructive fishing practices conducted by distant water fishing fleets that are harming our global marine ecosystems.”
Media contacts:
Afdillah, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia, +62811-470-4730, [email protected]
Ester Meryana, Media Campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia, +62811-1924-090, [email protected]
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