Page 36 - IB November 2024

Human Rights Human Rights

The Spanish fishing vessel the Fijian deckhand claims to have suffered his injuries on. Source: WCPFC website

DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS

FISHERMEN RISK LIFE TO SUPPORT FAMILIES

By Aisha Azeemah HDG Executive Officer Dr Patricia Kailola and Director
Captain Savenaca Kadavi shared their most distressing
Hundreds of kilometres from home, isolated with strangers statistics and stories with Islands Business in a recent
on the open ocean, risking life and limb to send money to interview.
their families, and all without an employment contract - this According to a 2020—2021 survey by the group, of 70 Fijian
is the average day for some Fijian men hired as deckhands on men working in this industry, 39 claimed they had never been
foreign fishing vessels. given a contract, and many of those who did recall signing
While the greatest need for an employment contract for the contracts were never offered a copy to keep.
average office worker may be in ensuring that they are given According to HDG surveys, a great number of the men,
their owed leave days to spend quality time with family, for a had been told their contracts would be signed once they had
deckhand, away at sea for months at a time, such a contract boarded the fishing vessels, but for most of these men, this
can mean the difference between life and death. never came to pass and there was little they could do but
The Human Dignity Group (HDG), a Fiji-based NGO seeking continue working once the vessels had hit open waters.
to promote the rights of Fijian maritime workers, has been One former deckhand on a Spanish Longliner, demanded a
tracking cases of workers at sea without contracts for several contract prior to boarding the vessel and was told contracts
years. would be signed with the captain aboard the vessel.

36 Islands Business, November 2024