FISHERMEN RIGHTS-HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOVEREIGNITY

 Human rights have become a topic of great importance in the fishing industry. This comes after the fishing industry has been on the spotlight for several cases of abuse of human rights. Fishermen are being subjected to very inhumane conditions. When discussing human rights in fishing industry issues of fishing rights is always brought up and there is always some form of conflict that exists in terms of allocation of such rights. It is important to recognize that crimes do happen in the fishing industry that not only threatens our ecosystems but also labourers working in the industry. Let’s take a look at how the fishing industry negatively impacts its workers and violates their rights.

1.      Poor working conditions

Most vessels subject their workers to poor working and living conditions and this has been going on for a while and several investigations have been conducted on the same. Access to adequate food, water, safety equipment and adequate living space, with spaces being cramped is an issue that has been identified (ILO).

Many fishers spend long hours away from home, with most spending even more time on sea and living there, in conditions that are not very suitable. With most spending time on the vessels, there is no clear distinction between working hours and resting hours, this makes them more vulnerable to over working and long working hours. Fishing is actually hazardous as when fishers experience challenges or are exploited they are far from family members and even authorities. They are also more likely to face more risks due to decline in fish stocks which forces then to move further offshore. This means the fatality rate of fishers are very high. Many fishers have complained of intense work, poor working conditions and very low wages.

2.      Human trafficking and Forced labour

There are many reports that show that forced labour and human trafficking is a serious issue the fishing industry, with migrants being the most vulnerable. Migrants are most vulnerable as the make up most of the labour and they are more vulnerable to being forced and tricked by recruitment agents and forced to work by means of bondage or threat (ILO).

Victims have reported incidents of sexual abuse, physical torture, long working hours, illness and death of fellow work mates. Illegal fishing, over fishing and sourcing labour from low income countries means migrant workers who are paid less are employed. Language barrier, lack of training and inability to enforce required standards make these fishers vulnerable to trafficking and forced labour.

Amidst efforts to address the issues, Thailand has been on the spotlight because of human rights abuses in the fishing industry. In April 2015, the European Union issued a “Yellow card” warning to Thailand as a country that is very possible to be uncooperative in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (Human rights watch 2018).

Child labour and abuse has also been reported in harvesting and processing in the fishing industry, with studies showing there could be millions of children involved throughout the world. In Ghana, very young children are sold as bonded labourers and denied education, exposed to slavery and hazardous labour, malnourished and exposed to other forms of abuse. In Vietnam, there is evidence that children aged 5-17 are involved in harvesting and processing and are exposed to very hazardous tasks. Human trafficking and child labour is not only limited to these countries but globally this has been an issue (Lydia, et al 2019)

To curb the cases of human rights abuses in this industry, there should be stronger regulatory controls to improve working conditions at sea, proper implementation and enforcement of laws, fully equipped and trained labour inspectors and enforcement of labour laws that are in compliance with labour standards.

3.      Fishing rights

In fisheries management there exist a very important relationship between human rights and fishing rights. Fishing rights are permission that a licensing body grants a fisher to harvest fish or any aquatic product. Human rights where everyone is a right-holder and doesn’t exclude anyone, however fishing rights can’t always be equated as human rights as only those who have the ‘rights’ through licensing can get access to the resource and benefit. Hence, human rights and fishing rights cannot be considered to be equal (Song et al 2019).

Another challenge of fishing rights is determining whose rights matter more when different parties are trying to secure fishing rights; a good example is between native community and non-native small scale fishers (Song et al 2019). It is important to recognize both rights when planning and implementing Human Rights Based Approach as fishing as though it was a human right also poses great challenges. Prioritizing the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable over the economic interest of larger scale fisheries should be key and paid much focus.

REFERENCES

ILO, work in fishing convention No. 188 and recommendation No. 199.

ILO, Forced labour and human trafficking in fisheries

Human Rights Watch, January 23, 2018, Hidden Chains. Rights Abuses and Forced Labor in Thailand’s Fishing Industry.

Lydia C. L. Teh ,Richard Caddell,Edward H. Allison, Elena M. Finkbeiner,John N. Kittinger, Katrina Nakamura,Yoshitaka Ota. The role of human rights in implementing socially responsible seafood. January 25, 2019

Andrew M. Song, Adam Soliman, Situating human rights in the context of fishing rights – Contributions and contradictions

Top 5 Countries With Extremely Alarming Level Of Hunger

 5. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

At number 5, with a 2021 Global Hunger Index (GHI) score of 39.0, Democratic Republic of the Congo is stuck in a vicious downfall of events. Food insecurity, internal conflict, mass level displacement, collapsing infrastructure, crop failure and high levels of poverty have interplayed and compounded the situation to a full-blown flood crisis engulfing around a quarter of Congo’s population.

 

 

(SOURCE:

Global Hunger Index)

 

 

4. Chad

 

Ranking 4th in the list is Chad, having a 2021 GHI score of 39.6. Plagued with undernourishment, one-third of the country is devoid of access to the minimum required calories for basic nourishment. With a stunting rate of 35.1%, child wasting rate of 13% and under 5 mortality rates of 11.4% the country has recorded extreme levels of food insecurity

 

 

(SOURCE: The

Borgen Project)

 

 

3. Central African Republic

 

At 43.0, the Central African Republic (CAR) has the third-highest 2021 GHI score. Around 50% of the population lives in acute undernourishment. Violence of the civil war, insecurity and large-scale displacement have led to intense food insecurity.

 

 

(SOURCE: The

Borgen Project)

 

 

2. Yemen

2nd in the rankings, Yemen’s 2021 GHI score at 45.1, corresponds with its concerning GHI

indicators, prevalence of under- nourishment of 45.4 percent, child stunting rate estimated at 51.4 percent, child wasting rate estimated at 15.1 percent, and a mortality rate for children under age five of 5.8 percent. The World Food Program declared in 2021 that more than 5 million people of Yemen are on the verge of famine.

 

 

(SOURCE:

AsiaNews)

 

 

1.Somalia

 

Topping the 2021 GHI ranking, Somalia with the score of 50.8 is in an extremely alarming

situation. Around 60% of its population is swept up in undernourishment. An unending series of crisis including droughts, famines, internal conflict, and the recent pandemic have all exacerbated the situation.

 

 

(SOURCE: UNICEF Connect)

 

 

Top 5 Practices for Mitigating ‘Soil degradation’

 Soil degradation occurs due to decreased fertility of the soil. Various underlying reasons could be loss of humus (top layer of soil) due to water runoff, overgrazing and unhealthy land management practices.  

5. TERRACING: mostly practiced on slopes or hilly lands, they effectively slow down the speed of water ensuring the topsoil doesn’t wash away. This involves cutting of slope into series of ridges or platforms which resemble steps thus also termed as step farming.    

4. CROP ROTATION: It is contrary to monoculture (cultivation of a single crop only), crop rotation implies planting of different crops on the same piece of land in a particular order. Like if we plant legumes after suppose say wheat then legumes would help in restoring nitrogen content in the soil that wheat has utilized. Thus, it helps in replenishing nutrients in the soil. 

3. WIND BREAKS: They could be natural or artificial and act as barriers to the flow of wind so the topsoil doesn’t blow away, thus preventing wind erosion. For example, shrubs, in addition, hold the soil too. 

2. STRIP FARMING: It is a method of growing different crops in systematic lanes or narrow strips on the same piece of land (like alternative rows of cotton and alfalfa) Mostly practiced on land with steep slopes. This checks soil erosion and also improves agricultural productivity.

1. REFORESTATION: Planting more and more trees like plantation drives in the deforested areas. The underlying motive is to maintain vegetative cover to reduce wind and water-induced soil erosion. Some studies show bamboo plantation helped restore degraded land, as it generates biomass underground, has long roots to bind the soil together (a single bamboo plant can hold up to 6 cubic meters of soil) and also helps the soil to retain moisture. 

 

• Wind breaks
  Artificial and natural windbreaks, such as shrubs, reduce the erosion effects of wind. Plants also have the added benefit of “anchoring” the soil, reducing the effects of erosion from water.
• Terracing
  Terracing of slopes reduces the effects of water runoff and helps conserve rain water.
• Strip farming
  Alternating strips of different types of crops helps reduce the effects of erosion.
• Crop rotation
  Crop rotation is the planting of different crops in the same field in a specific order; monoculture is the planting of the same crop. Crop rotation has been shown to increase the nutrients of the soil, as well as reduce pests and crop disease.

 

Preparedness Of Educational Institutions to Tackle Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are catastrophic ones such as floods, earthquake, wildfire, hurricane, tornado, landslides, tsunami, drought, heat waves, volcano eruptions, mudflow, thunderstorm, typhoon etc.

Due to climate change, the risk of natural disasters is frequent across the world. We have to mitigate measures the severe impact of climate emergency. Children are facing adverse effects of natural hazards. They are into physical and mental trauma. Many of them even losing their academic performance. 

Educational institutions must focus on these type measures, they have to take safety and security concerns. Be at a stage to handle the situations under any circumstances. The school management must include disaster management as part of curriculum. Teach the students about it as not just as a subjective lesson, teach them to face it, tackle in hurdle times. It should be a hybrid approach where it includes wisdom and local knowledge can be used to prevent socio-economic issues.

Proper planning, co-ordination and execution must have, a strategic approach is necessary. There shall be firefighting equipment, fire warning and fire alarm systems in place. The educational institution should take the authority to implement a standard operating procedure (SOP) for access control – SOP were designed to create uniformity of effort, and cohesion, thus resulting in the continuity of standards. 

Create a mock drill like tactics such as – immediate action drills, intelligence gathering, surveillance and counter surveillance, authentication etc. to understand the students easily. It will be useful in future if any situations occur. Familiarize the staff personnel with emergency procedures. Make students aware about the designated assembly areas, exits, staging areas and provide for a functional radio communication grid, dedicated to evacuation and medical emergencies only.

Establish an emergency coordinator in every institution makes it easy to report problems, evaluate after any emergency or event of any nature. Disaster may result into death, injury or disease, damage to property, infrastructure or the environment, disruption of the life of a community.

Disaster management means a continuous and integrated multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary process of planning and implementation of measures aimed at:

• Preventing or reducing the risk of disasters
• Mitigating the severity or consequences of disasters
• Emergency preparedness 
• Rapid and effective response to disasters 
• Post-disaster recovery and rehabilitation  

Disaster preparedness: it means exactly being prepared for anything. Good planning and preparedness activities can significantly reduce the impact of a disaster, and also assist with basic emergencies and may prevent operational failure. A disaster plan is a key part of preparedness. We must take all of the steps necessary to mitigate and to prepare for disasters. This includes incorporating the necessary emergency equipment and services. A disaster is a large-scale emergency. 

Any emergency management initiative must start with an inventory of risks and an assessment of the exposure from these risks. Infrastructure issues will likely be seen as the ones that present the most risk. The key steps in emergency management are:

• Mitigation 
• Preparedness
• Response
• Recovery 

Mitigation – reduces or eliminates long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards and their effects. It involves such activities as avoiding construction in high-risk areas such as floodplains, engineering buildings to withstand wind and earthquakes and more. 

Preparedness – simply preparing for an emergency before it occurs. The key to effective emergency management is being ready to provide a rapid emergency response. 

Response – action of responding to an emergency. Trained and equipped personnel will be required to deal with any emergency situation.

Recovery – process of returning to normal. 

Some of the useful tips/resources necessary required to handle to situations under any circumstances:

• Assign coordinators to review security and accreditation pertaining to
• Accommodation requirements
• Accreditation/facilitation requirements
• Transport and logistics requirements 
• Health, medical and disaster management requirements
• Human resources/volunteers and role player’s requirements 
• Protocol, media liaison, IT, telecom, hospitality 
• Safety and security assessment and compliance requirements