Access to safe and adequate sanitation facilities is an established human right and fundamental health, safety and dignity issue in fisheries. On fishing vessels, access to toilets, sanitation facilities, clean drinking water and hygiene infrastructure may be limited, inadequate or non-existent.
Beca
Fishers work in isolated, confined and steeply hierarchical environments that increase exposure to bullying, intimidation and physical violence. Vessels are closed workplaces: prolonged periods at sea and minimal external oversight create environments where abuse remains hidden and unreported
Power
Technological change is transforming fisheries through electronic monitoring, vessel tracking, automated equipment, digital reporting systems and data-driven management tools. While these developments can improve safety, traceability and sustainability, they also create new human rights risks if
The ITF can work with companies to establish clear, context-specific labour standards across fisheries supply chains – covering recruitment, wages, working time, accommodation, occupational safety and health, sanitation, freedom of association and protection from forced labour – and to embed them in
Freedom of association and collective bargaining are fundamental rights and essential enablers of effective HREDD in fisheries. Where workers are unable to organise, join trade unions or bargain collectively, other abuses are more likely to occur and remain undetected.
Fishers face severe barriers to
Discrimination is a persistent risk throughout fisheries supply chains, on the grounds of nationality, migration status, gender, race, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and employment status. This is often intensified by the sector’s reliance on migrant labour and complex recruitment
Forced labour and human trafficking are severe and prevalent human rights risks in fisheries. Isolation at sea, weak oversight, complex recruitment systems and worker dependency combine to create conditions in which exploitation flourishes undetected – and in which a worker who wants to leave
