Reports

Recruitment and Employment Experiences of Filipino Migrant Fishers in Taiwan’s Tuna Fishing Sector: An Exploratory Study

Taiwan is one of the world’s five major seafood exporters and the primary flag state of the world’s longline tuna fleets. Recent research by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has shown serious human rights violations, including slavery-like conditions, among migrants crewing fishing vessels linked to Taiwan. Some allegations of forced labor have implicated employers engaged in illegal, … Read more

Mechanization of Thai Purse Seiners: A Business Case Study to Improve Working and Living Conditions

This case study aims to share insights of the impact of mechanization of a specific fishing vessel type – a medium-to-large sized purse seiner – on working and living conditions at sea. As the fishing process and vessel operations are highly dependent on vessel type, mechanization takes different forms for specific vessel types. As such, … Read more

Assessing Labor Risk for Workers Migrating from the Philippines to Europe

Millions of people from the Philippines have migrated abroad for employment, seeking a better life and improved economic status for themselves and their families. Recruitment mechanisms for migrant workers from the Philippines to European countries are heterogenous, as they vary based on thedemographics of each worker, the specific laws of the host country, the practices … Read more

Recruitment and Hiring Practices in the Philippine Tuna Handline Fishing Sector

As the Philippines’ top seafood export, tuna plays a significant role in supporting the country’s economy and sustaining the livelihood of families in many of the country’s fishing communities. In General Santos City, the country’s “tuna capital,” tuna fishing relies heavily on handlining, an eco-friendly but labor-intensive means of harvest in which fishers use baited … Read more

Thailand Bound: An Exploration of Labor Migration Infrastructures in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Lao PDR

We conducted an exploratory study of the recruitment practices in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Lao PDR for workers destined for Thailand to map the critical intervention points in these sending countries where the risks to jobseekers begin. Our findings represent a snapshot of a dynamic process and depict the current environment in which labor migration in … Read more

Forced Labor in the Production of Electronic Goods in Malaysia: A Comprehensive Study of Scope and Characteristics

Malaysia’s electronics sector workforce includes hundreds of thousands of foreign migrant workers who come to Malaysia on the promise of a good salary and steady work – an opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families. But many are subject to high recruitment fees, personal debt, complicated recruitment processes, lack of transparency … Read more

Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Indonesian Fishing Sector

Our research in Indonesia was initially aimed to assess the circumstances surrounding forced labor on fishing platforms (jermals) in North Sumatra province. This research was expanded to examine small-boat anchovy fishing in North Sumatra and blast fishing in South Sulawesi province. We carried out research on the presence of indicators of forced labor in the … Read more

Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Philippines Tuna Sector

Verité carried out research on the presence of indicators of forced labor in the production of ten goods in seven countries from 2008 through 2011. Research was carried out on the production of shrimp in Bangladesh; Brazil-nuts, cattle, corn, and peanuts in Bolivia; sugar in the Dominican Republic; coffee in Guatemala; fish in Indonesia; rubber … Read more