Greenpeace USA, Southeast Asia, East Asia organizations, and several human rights and worker groups have repeatedly called for the U.S. to downgrade Taiwan to Tier 2 due to the prevalence of forced labor and human trafficking in Taiwan’s distant water fishing (DWF) industry.
Greenpeace USA, Southeast Asia, East Asia organizations, and several human rights and worker groups have repeatedly called for the U.S. to downgrade Taiwan to Tier 2 due to the prevalence of forced labor and human trafficking in Taiwan’s distant water fishing (DWF) industry.
Washington D.C. (June 24, 2024)–The U.S. government has again awarded Taiwan a Tier 1 ranking in the latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. This marks the fifteenth consecutive year Taiwan has received this top designation, despite extensive evidence of the prevalence of forced labor and human trafficking in Taiwan’s distant water fishing (DWF) industry. Greenpeace USA, Southeast Asia, East Asia organizations, and several human rights and worker groups have repeatedly called for the U.S. to downgrade Taiwan to Tier 2 due to these persistent issues [1].
Charli Fritzner, Greenpeace USA Beyond Seafood Project Team Lead, said: “The U.S. government’s decision to maintain Taiwan’s Tier 1 status, despite the severe labor and human rights abuses in the Taiwanese distant water fishing industry, signals a disturbing tolerance for these practices. This ranking allows the industry to continue its harmful practices without accountability, putting workers’ lives at risk daily. Worse, it offers little incentive or pressure for necessary changes to improve worker conditions.”
Recent investigations by Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Greenpeace East Asia, and other entities have exposed rampant human rights abuse and forced labor within the global seafood supply chain. These reported abuses include wage withholding, excessive working hours, sleep deprivation, limited access to medical treatment, physical injury, confiscation of personal identification documents, inadequate food, psychological and sexual abuse, and lack of access to external communication such as Wi-fi. Taiwan has one of the world’s largest distant water fishing (DWF) fleets, with over 2,000 vessels operating across all major oceans.
The Da Wang, a Taiwanese-owned vessel that U.S. Customs and Border Protection found to have used forced labor, was the source of a Bumble Bee tuna can sold in American supermarkets in 2022, according to research by Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace East Asia.
Fritzner continued: “As one of the world’s largest seafood consumers, the U.S. wields significant influence in the seafood industry. However, by continuing to award Taiwan, a major offender, a Tier 1 ranking, it is failing to advocate for meaningful change. If the Biden Administration is serious about protecting workers and keeping seafood free of modern slavery, it must address human rights abuses in the DWF industry comprehensively now.”
Workers in the Taiwanese DWF industry have few recourse options. Greenpeace East Asia and other observers have called on the Taiwanese government to improve, such as implement mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence obligations on corporations and effective grievance mechanisms at sea and port aligned with the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), allowing migrant fishers to report labor violations safely and receive timely remedies.
In comments submitted to the State Department before the TIP Ranking, Greenpeace USA and GLJ-ILRF expressed concern that Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency (FA) Counseling and Protection Hotline for Foreign Workers does not adequately meet workers’ basic needs [2]. The organizations documented several cases where fishers reportedly faced retaliation for raising grievances.
Civil society, human rights groups, and worker organizations are also urging immediate reforms to address the root causes of labor and human rights abuses in the Taiwanese DWF industry. These include respecting the right of migrant workers to freedom of association and collective bargaining, ensuring Wi-Fi access on vessels, eliminating discriminatory employment schemes, transferring management of migrant fishers to the Ministry of Labor, and ensuring coverage under the Labor Standards Act and other domestic labor laws.
Yuton Lee, Greenpeace East Asia Oceans Campaigner, said: “We hope the Taiwanese government recognizes the gaps between international standards of human rights and labor rights and the current laws and practices in the Taiwanese distant water fishery, and prioritize closing these gaps. Instead of relishing an undeserved Tier 1 ranking, the Taiwanese government should focus on genuine efforts, including the adoption of ILO C-188, to address and rectify the reported widespread human rights and labor abuses that they have been complicit in allowing to fester.”
Despite slow progress in addressing these issues, the Taiwan Fisheries Agency (TFA) swiftly responded to the release of the director’s cut of the documentary “Before You Eat” by falsely claiming that “Greenpeace edited the footage of Taiwanese fishing vessels” to make Taiwanese-flagged vessels appear culpable in the events it documents. The documentary, produced by the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (SBMI) with support from Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Indonesia, shares first-hand accounts of several alleged victims of forced labor and human trafficking in the global seafood industry.
Arifsyah Nasution, Global Beyond Seafood Campaign Lead, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said: “We suggest the Taiwanese Fishing Agency prioritizes human rights of fishers and the environmental impact mitigation of Taiwan’s distant water fleet over silencing the international discussion of this critical issue. More broadly, as the nature of the seafood supply chain is inherently global, we call for governments across the supply chain to address the lack of transparency, accountability, and due diligence in this industry. It is essential that governments and market actors take concrete steps to address labor rights and environmental protection.”
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Notes to the Editors
[1] Previous calls for Taiwan to be downgraded to Tier 2:
www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/state-department-report-underplays-taiwans-abuse-of-migrant-fishers (2020)
www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/92200 (2023)
[2] Comments submitted to the State Department on behalf of the Seafood Working Group, which includes Global Labor Justice and Greenpeace USA
Contact: Tanya Brooks, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, P: 703-342-9226, E: [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems