Report: Slaves may be catching the fish you eat

[azurnoir]

A new report by U.K. activists points to slave labor in the Thai fishing industry — whose biggest buyer happens to be the U.S.

The Environmental Justice Foundation report, published Wednesday, cites a case of slave labor in which 15 Burmese people, paid little or nothing, were allegedly beaten and forced to work 20 hours a day for Thai fishermen.

Those Burmese workers, since rescued, say they saw their countrymen murdered and tortured on Thai ships.

"This is not an isolated case, but indicative of the widespread acceptance and use of modern slavery in an industry that feeds a global appetite for seafood," says an EJF rep.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/05/31/slave-labor-fish/2375655/

[Laelth]

1. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[snagglepuss]

10. +1

[azurnoir]

12. Thank you for the

[BainsBane]

2. an important subject that gets inadequate attention

Modern day slavery is at record levels. Thanks for the OP.

[azurnoir]

11. It gets largely ignored and the more you look into it the more shocking it gets

Top 10 Facts About Modern Slavery

Slavery: forced to work without pay under threat of violence and unable to walk away.

27 million slaves are in the world today.

Slavery is not legal anywhere but happens everywhere.

The majority of slaves can be found in India and in African countries.

Each year, thousands of slaves are trafficked into the U.S.

Slaves work in fields, brothels, homes, mines, restaurants—anywhere slave owners can feed their greed.

Human trafficking is the modern-day slave trade.

$90 is the average cost of a human slave sold around the world.

Slave holders use many terms to avoid the word “slavery”: debt bondage, bonded labor, attached labor,
forced labor, indentured servitude and human trafficking.

We can end slavery in our lifetime. Everyone has a role to play: government, business, international
organizations, consumers, and YOU.

http://freetheslaves.net/Document.Doc?id=34

[BainsBane]

13. $90!

That's truly shocking. At least under the Atlantic slave system, they were valuable property. They cost thousands in today's dollars.

[redqueen]

3. I hardly ever eat seafood. Our global appetite is starving ocean predators.

K&R

[Pragdem]

4. I hate most seafood, anyway. Now this gives me another reason to hate it. nt

[Pisces]

5. You can't eat, drink, wear clothes, use modern electronics, get engaged with a diamond anymore

without feeling guilty about it. It is crazy. What is a reasonably informed person to do? Go live in a commune when we grow our
own food and make our own clothes? It is impossible to live in modern day society without touching on one horror or another.

[bvar22]

6. WOOHOO!

You can't beat THOSE wages if you are a 1%er.
We need MORE "Free Trade" NOW!!!

Support Obama's Trans Pacific Partnership Treaty (TPP) TODAY!
AKA: NAFTA on Steroids
We need our 1%ers to get even RICHER off the misery of others.




You will know them by their WORKS.

[Doremus]

7. They aren't catching the fish I eat because I don't eat fish or any other animal.

Moral concerns like this are the reason why.

My sympathies to these people.

[bluestate10]

9. Is any of the vegetables, nuts or fruit that you eat imported?

You may want to get off your high horse and check. I do check and can say that nothing that I eat is handled by slave or low paid labor.

[bluestate10]

8. The slavery must be stopped. I eat fish that is caught by USA origin boats in northern Atlantic

waters. I only purchase wild shrimp harvested in US waters by US Shrimpers. My clothing, underwear, socks, shoes are made by mainland USA workers.