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An NGO insists that foreign workers are exploited in Hawaii's long-line fleet. (Photo: Caleb Jones/Associated Press)
NGO urges international entity to probe Hawaii's fleet labour conditions
UNITED STATES
Friday, July 21, 2017, 02:20 (GMT + 9)
Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) requested the Inter-American Human Rights Commission to determine the responsibility of the United States for human rights violations against foreign workers in Hawaii's longline fishing fleet.
Through this request, which follows an investigation into the seafood industry carried out by Associated Press (AP), the non-government organisation seeks to hasten a probe into conditions among foreign workers in Hawaii's commercial fishing industry.
"Hawaii's longline fishery operates in a void of regulation. Government at the state and federal level is failing to ensure even the most basic human rights for these workers," said Cassie Burdyshaw, the NGO advocacy and policy director.
The AP reported that hundreds of men are confined to Hawaii boats that operate because of a federal loophole that exempts foreign fishermen from most basic labor protections.
The probe also showed that many come from impoverished Southeast Asian and Pacific nations to take the jobs, which can pay as little as 70 cents an hour while the fleet catches USD 110 million worth of luxury seafood annually.
The NGO members insist that since initial reports, little has changed in the industry that provides tuna and other fish to American and overseas consumers at a premium price.
On the other hand, in written testimony submitted during legislative hearings, Jim Cook and Sean Martin of the Hawaii Longline Association argued that foreign fishermen "possess legal standing and have legal recourse."
However, US Customs and Border Protection agents now stamp "Refused" on every fisherman's landing permit. That means they are technically not allowed to set foot on US soil, customs officials said. The state requires fishermen to be legally admitted to the US to get fishing licenses.
The request has been supported by the Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery and Ocean Defenders Alliance.
Related article:
- AP investigation denounces forced labour in Hawaiian fishing fleet
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