BALI (Joint Press Release): Indonesia continue to encourage member States of ASEAN to strengthen a regional collaboration to address issues related to human trafficking and labour exploitation against migrant fishers in fishing industry. This joint collaboration is crucial, considering the involvement of a high number of migrant fishers that need to be addressed by multi-countries.

In addition to being vulnerable to human trafficking, migrant fishers have to face long working hours, dangerous working conditions, limited protection from occupational hazards as well as additional challenges related to payment of fees, lack of appropriate training or certification and documentation. These issues are being faced by major seafood and fish exporting nations such as Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Myanmar and the Philippines.

“As a maritime country, we greatly support initiatives to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation, particularly among ASEAN countries, to effectively develop actions and strategies to ensure decent work conditions at sea,” said HE. M. Hanif Dhakiri, Minister of Manpower, at the Consultative Forum on Regional Cooperation against Human Trafficking, Labour Exploitation and Slavery at Sea in Bali, Indonesia, from 27-28 March 2018.

Under the government of President Joko Widodo, Minister Hanif continued, Indonesia has continued to strengthen its efforts to protect its fishers from human trafficking and labour exploitation. Indonesia has also enacted the Law No. 15/2016 as the ratification of the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention.

This Forum is initiated by the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and has involved the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia. The Forum is going to be officially opened by M. Hanif Dhakiri, Minister of Manpower and with the presence of Deputy Minister for Maritime Sovereignty, Arif Havas Oegroseno and Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia, Michiko Miyamoto. The Forum is a follow-up to the global tripartite meeting on issues relating to migrant fishers held in September 2017 in Geneva.

Deputy Minister for Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Arif Havas Oegroseno, emphasized that issues related to human trafficking and labour exploitation at sea could not be solved by only one country. “Although Indonesia has initiated some policies to address these issues, we cannot work alone. Therefore, through this Forum, we would like to call all of the ASEAN countries to be actively involved. Indonesia is ready to lead this regional cooperation,” stated Arif Havas.

Meanwhile, Michiko Miyamoto said that the ILO has issued a labour standard under its ILO Convention No. 188 on Work in Fishing, aimed to reduce the exploitation of migrant fishers in the region. “The ILO is committed to ensuring compliance with the requirements of this ILO Convention in the region,” she said.

The Forum is attended by relevant officials of government agencies, workers’ and employers’ organizations from Indonesia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Lao PDR and Viet Nam.

For further information please contact:

Among Resi Pundi
ILO’s Project Officer of SEA Fisheries
Email: resi@ilo.org

Lusiani Julia
ILO’s Programme Officer
Email: lusiani@ilo.org