Jakarta, The PRAKARSA - Production and exports of fishery products in ASEAN countries have increased significantly in the last two decades, contributing 25% to global fish production. Indonesia itself is one of four countries in ASEAN which is included in the top 10 largest fish producing countries in the world, with production reaching 5,40 million metric tons (MT) in 2012.
These contributions demonstrate ASEAN's important role in global fisheries and seafood markets. However, the issue of human rights (HAM) and worker welfare is still a challenge. Lack of control over business practices leads to exploitative treatment of workers.
"Ship owners and industries that only pursue profit have led to widespread practices of forced labor, human trafficking and slavery in the fisheries supply chain," explained Samira Hanim, Researcher at The PRAKARSA, at the launch of his latest research 'Incentive Policies and Human Rights in the ASEAN Fisheries Supply Chain' on Friday (15/3/2024), in Jakarta.
Samira in her presentation also said that the fisheries sector is one of the industries that is at high risk of committing modern slavery. "Cases of violations among crew members (ABK) are most often found in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, workers are often required to pay expensive recruitment fees which lead to debt bondage," added Samira.
In these three countries PRAKARSA found that the crew members who had been on the ship for months had to face various human rights violations. Crew members often do not get proper food, there is not enough clean water available, excessive working hours and inappropriate rest areas, physical and verbal harassment occur, the work environment is high risk but is not equipped with adequate work safety standards which often results in death.
"Not only at the fishing level, workers at the fish processing level are also still vulnerable to experiencing human rights violations such as forced labor, long working hours, inadequate working conditions, low wages and gender discrimination," said Samira.
Due to these conditions, Samira said that the government should strictly enforce worker protection regulations and fulfill human rights in the fisheries sector. “This cannot be underestimated. The ratification of international conventions by the three countries must be considered more than just a formality, but rather as a real step in implementing existing regulations. A strong commitment from the government in implementing these regulations will provide better protection for workers. "Concrete evidence of the effectiveness of this regulation will be a strong basis for creating a safe and fair work environment in the fisheries sector," stressed Samira.
Ensure the fulfillment of ship workers' human rights
At the launch, representatives of ministries/institutions were present who provided responses to research on Incentive Policy and Human Rights in the Fisheries Supply Chain. Chairman of the Fishing Vessel Manning Working Team, Directorate of Fishing Vessels and Fishing Equipment of the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), Muhammad Iqbal Gade welcomed the results of the research conducted PRAKARSA which has mainstreamed human rights principles in its main business activities in the fisheries sector. Iqbal said that there is a need for fisheries labor regulations that must be separated between those at sea and on land. Then, he also hopes that there will be involvement of all parties to ensure protection for fisheries workers.
"Awareness of all stakeholders regarding the protection of workers on ships must be carried out, the government is committed to overseeing control instruments. "We are also open to the involvement of all parties such as researchers, CSOs, academics, business actors and so on to ensure the fulfillment of human rights for workers on ships," said Iqbal.
Meanwhile, Nurlaidi, Associate Expert Policy Analyst at the APBN Policy Center, Fiscal Policy Agency (BKF) of the Ministry of Finance, said that the contribution of the fisheries sector to state income is still very small. "The government has provided quite a lot of fiscal incentives for the fisheries sector, ranging from tax instruments to other incentives. Incentives are given to encourage economic growth and can contribute to the country. "But the contribution to revenue from the fisheries sector is still very small, below 1% of GDP," explained Nurlaidi.
Dewi Candraningrum, Lecturer at Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta, stated that research must examine gender aspects more deeply. "The position of women in fisheries governance is actually very large, even though in many studies it is still not visible," said Dewi.
Chairman of the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Association (KNTI) DPP, Dani Setiawan, said that one of the big issues at the 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting was the issue of fisheries subsidies. According to him, this issue is sensitive, because the WTO firmly wants to encourage countries to reduce subsidies.
"Even though fuel subsidies are provided to small fishermen, in reality they cannot access the subsidized fuel because administration is difficult and supporting infrastructure is limited. "Small fishermen are forced to buy independent fuel which is much more expensive," said Dani.
Poverty experienced by small fishermen, women's problems on the coast, and human rights violations among workers in the fisheries sector are still common. This proves that government policies have not really resolved the existing problems. The government must emphasize the policy priorities that will be implemented in the next five years, so that policies are more effective.