ILO TO PUSH “SHIP TO SHORE RIGHTS” IN ASEAN TO PROTECT FISHERMEN

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, May 17 (Bernama ) -- The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is taking a decisive step to engage ASEAN governments to safeguard the rights and welfare of migrant workers in Southeast Asia’s fishing industry.

This European Union-funded US$12 million project aims to tackle ongoing challenges faced by vulnerable fishermen and seafood processing sectors.

The EU-funded “Ship to Shore Rights” is a regional programme to safeguard labour migration in the fishing sector, which covers Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand.

“There has been increased pressure on many producing countries in Southeast Asia from the EU, the United States and other key market states looking to ensure that the fish and seafood supply chain is free from forced and child labour, particularly against migrant workers. 

“Governments within the region do not want to lose market access because these bans can have a very negative impact on their economies,” Benjamin Harkins, Technical Specialist, Ship to Shore Rights Southeast Asia programme, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, told Bernama from Bangkok.

The blue economy is an important source of employment in Southeast Asia.

Asia was home to more than 19 million fish farmers and 30 million fishers in 2020.

According to the ILO, it accounted for 84 per cent of all people employed in the fisheries and aquaculture sector worldwide that year. 

The fishing industry, an economic lifeline in many countries, faces persistent challenges such as the influx of illegal migrant workers, paltry wages, abuses on fishing boats, human trafficking, and a lack of social security protection. 

The situation is exacerbated by unregulated fishing practices and overfishing in some regions, which diminish global fish populations, say experts. 

As the industry’s productivity declines, employers often cut costs by exploiting workers in both the fishing and aquaculture sectors. 

Migrant workers often take on these jobs. The fishing and aquaculture sectors do not attract local residents who see the jobs as low-paying, physically demanding, and hazardous.

Ship to Shore Rights is a four-year regional initiative by the ILO in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations Development Programme.

The programme was first implemented in Thailand in 2017 to address poor working conditions in its fishing and seafood processing industries. The programme is currently in its third phase. 

The project will be expanded to Malaysia, a top marine capture fisheries producer and a destination for migrant workers, said ILO.

“Realising the commitments made in the ASEAN Declaration and Guidelines on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers is one of our key focus areas. We will work closely with ASEAN bodies and ASEAN member states to develop work plans and operational tools in the coming years.

“The Ship to Shore Rights Southeast Asia programme is a proven model that supports safe migration for decent work in the blue economy. We are realistic about the scale of the challenges involved but also very optimistic that we can achieve a lot of further progress during the next four years,” said Harkins. 

ILO has set up  23 Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) across the region and plans to establish an additional MRC to provide information and assistance to migrant fishers and seafood processing workers in Malaysia.

--  BERNAMA