Slaves Forced to Fish for Global Supply

An Associated Press report Tuesday revealed the harrowingly abusive labor practices in the international seafood industry, tracking slave-caught fish on the Indonesian island of Benjina to major American grocery stores such Kroger, Safeway, and Wal-Mart. The AP spoke to more than 40 current and former slaves in Benjina, including men trapped in cages and forced to fish under false documents. Burmese, Cambodian, and Thai migrants are routinely sold as slaves to Thai captains or companies, according to a former broker who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Thai government has promised reform, including a new national registry of illegal migrant workers, such as the 100,000 working in the seafood industry. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has issued a temporary ban on most fishing to prevent foreign poachers from fishing in the country’s waters, which has left as many as 1,000 slaves stranded in Benjina.