Water in their hands: A review of Seafood Slaves
“We are like water in their hands.
They can do whatever they want.”
Sitting in his home in Myanmar, the man explains that he was trafficked by a Thai fishing company and that he was never paid. The Al Jazeera documentary Seafood Slaves shares many similar stories, exposing a network of slavery in the waters off remote East Indonesian islands. These men are from Myanmar, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos, but because of the poverty in their homelands, they went to Thailand looking for work. When a contractor told them to board a boat to travel to their new job, they climbed on. Only then did they find out they had been trapped and sold for their unpaid labor—confined to a life at sea with no way to contact anyone. Commercial fishing is a lucrative industry that, in some cases, has forced thousands to work for up to a decade without pay.
The documentary follows a journalist as he converses with repatriated survivors and reports their progress as they press their former “employers” for proper compensation for their years of labor, which is usually futile. Still, the survivors and their families are depicted as capable people who are speaking up and getting back their respect and dignity. Seafood Slaves presents the harsh realities of trafficking including lack of sleep, lack of food, extremely long work hours, isolation, and beatings. Further, it speaks to the real, recurring issues that we see in trafficking situations such as poverty, exploitation, and manipulation.
While the approximately 2,000 men in the subject film were able to escape the waters of slavery in Eastern Indonesia, the places to which they are returning are the same ones they left. Their countries lack opportunities for them to work, and now they have experienced trauma and are likely depressed. Until the root issue of poverty is addressed, workers everywhere remain vulnerable to traffickers.
“Until the root issue of poverty is addressed, workers everywhere remain vulnerable to traffickers.”
Docuseries such as Fault Lines have a unique position to inform the public on relevant issues in the world in a more detailed way than the news can. But Seafood Slaves doesn’t just inform us about an atrocity--it names companies involved in this injustice. It calls on viewers to make responsible decisions about the products they choose while also acknowledging the difficulty of knowing how products are made. As the journalist points out, you can’t tell which fish are caught by victims of human trafficking by looking at them.
However, if you live in a place with access to a farmers’ market, that is one avenue to knowing where and by whom your food products are made. Because I live in Central Indiana, there would never be fish on sale at my local farmers’ market. This is something to keep in mind even when shopping at the grocery store in the winter: if I can’t really know where my fish/meat/produce (fill in the blank) are coming from… should I buy them at all?
Whether you’re a staunch local-food-only purist or you buy in a more hybridized fashion, the best thing you can do is to watch this documentary and others like it to stay informed on possible products that use slave labor in their supply chains. And then, tell your friends!
The U.S. and Europe are the primary customers in the $7 billion fish industry. Seafood Slaves helps viewers understand how prevalent trafficking is in its many forms, but it also gives viewers a path forward by empowering us to make conscious decisions. As consumers, we have the power to withdraw support from companies that use exploitative practices. While it may seem like your purchasing power is just a drop in the bucket, companies notice and analyze trends. Even if the company you are avoiding won’t change their practices, competitors can recognize buyers’ awareness and offer alternative solutions.
About the Author
Emma Beavins is from Franklin, Indiana—a mid-sized town in the heart of central Indiana. Emma is an avid reader, caffeinated-beverage consumer, and a firm believer in the pancakes-are-better-than-waffles debate. Emma enjoys running half marathons and spending quality time with friends, preferably over breakfast. Emma is studying English and Spanish at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana where she hopes to be able to use her verbal and written communication skills to advocate for various social justice issues.