Greenpeace voice alarm over verdict on human trafficking onboard fishing vessel, call for justice

Today, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung District Court found the captain and chief officer not guilty in a case involving allegations of human trafficking and labor exploitation aboard Da Wang, a Taiwanese-owned, Vanuatu-flagged tuna fishing vessel that exported its fish globally.

The case dates back to June 2019, when a 19-year-old Indonesian fisher, Sunoto, was reportedly struck in the back of the head while working aboard the Da Wang and was found dead in the cabin the following morning. Prosecutors in the case said the vessel’s captain and first officer used violence and coercion to exploit migrant fishers aboard.

Manny (pseudonym), a Filipino fisher who is also a victim and witness in the Da Wang forced labour case, said the verdict was deeply heartbreaking and disappointing to him. He said, “The captain assaulted and beat people on board every day. He was responsible for Sunoto’s wrongful death and should be held accountable under the law. If there is an opportunity to appeal, I will appeal the case all the way.”

Shay Kuo, Oceans Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia’s Taipei Office, said: “Despite multiple testimonies and indications pointing to forced labour and violence aboard the vessel, the court’s decision highlights the difficulties of gathering evidence and establishing proof at sea, underscoring the challenges facing the maritime regulatory system. Seven years on, full justice remains out of reach. To prevent further victims and broken families, the Taiwanese government must strengthen oversight of fishing vessels and require seafood companies to take responsibility for human rights abuses throughout their supply chains.”

Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Union of Indonesian Migrant Workers (SBMI) first documented allegations of severe labour abuses — such as violence, excessive working hours and wage-related abuses — aboard the Da Wang in its 2019 investigation. [1]

Sari Heidenreich, senior human rights adviser for Greenpeace USA’s Global Fisheries campaign, said: “This heartbreaking verdict cannot be the end of the story. A migrant fisher lost his life, and other workers reported serious abuses, including forced labor, aboard the same vessel. This case exemplifies the uphill battle that fishers face to achieve justice and remedy. Responsibility does not end with vessel operators. All of Big Seafood, which includes companies buying and trading seafood, must be rigorous in their due diligence to ensure that forced labor and abuse are not happening anywhere in their supply chains and that, if they do, victims have access to swift and meaningful justice and remedy.”

The Da Wang case exposes the widespread problem of seafood supply chains remaining profitable while the migrant workers who catch the fish bear the greatest human cost.

The Greenpeace global network’s Beyond Seafood Campaign has called for concerted action by all stakeholders and governments along the seafood supply chain to end isolation at sea. This includes:

• Free, accessible, and secure Wi-Fi on all fishing vessels to allow fishers to have contact with their families, unions, and governments.
  
  
• Capping time at sea to maximum three consecutive months to reduce the risk of human rights abuse, forced labor, and human trafficking.
  
  
• 100% human observers or electronic monitoring to ensure vital data on catch composition, bycatch, interactions with protected species, and overall fishing practices are reported by independent and impartial parties.
  
  

ENDS

Notes

[1] Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the SBMI first documented allegations of severe labour abuses aboard the Da Wang in its 2019 investigation, Seabound: The Journey to Modern Slavery on the High Seas.

Greenpeace East Asia passed the testimony of an onboard Indonesian fisher to Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency, who then took the evidence to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation. In April 2022, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office indicted nine people, including the vessel owner, captain, first officer and others, on charges including violations of Taiwan’s Human Trafficking Prevention Act.

Separately in the United States, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against tuna caught by the Da Wang in August 2020 and a Finding against the Da Wang for forced labour in January 2022. In the same year, Greenpeace USA found tuna for sale by Bumble Bee in the U.S. that was sourced from the Da Wang during the alleged human trafficking and forced labor occured. Bumble Bee also faces a separate federal lawsuit brought by Indonesian fishers who allege that the company benefited from tuna harvested using their forced labor.