Are slaves catching the fish you buy?

[Chalky]

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/ap-investigation-are-slaves-catching-the-fish-you-buy/ar-AA9XkOp?ocid=mailsignoutmd

I came across this article when I logged out of Hotmail and I couldn't stop reading it.

They said the captains on their fishing boats forced them to drink unclean water and work 20- to 22-hour shifts with no days off. Almost all said they were kicked, whipped with toxic stingray tails or otherwise beaten if they complained or tried to rest. They were paid little or nothing, as they hauled in heavy nets with squid, shrimp, snapper, grouper and other fish.

"I want to go home. We all do," one man called out in Burmese, a cry repeated by others. The AP is not using the names of some men for their safety. "Our parents haven't heard from us for a long time. I'm sure they think we are dead."

It's pretty disturbing. Do you scrutinize where your food comes from? We should be paying attention to this.

[thejazz97]

I want to hear the captains' side of the story. Everyone's got reasons for why they act a certain way. I'm not trying to justify it - it's wrong and terrible, but I want to see the big picture.

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/ap-investigation-are-slaves-catching-the-fish-you-buy/ar-AA9XkOp?ocid=mailsignoutmd

I came across this article when I logged out of Hotmail and I couldn't stop reading it.

It's pretty disturbing. Do you scrutinize where your food comes from? We should be paying attention to this.

Wow and here I thought not buying any farmed fish was bad. This sickens me deeeply

[Aladeen]

How much fish do we import from Burma? Definitely enlightening, but I always assumed most of the fish that I buy here comes from the ocean right beside us rather than fished and transported half a world away.

[Chalky]

I want to hear the captains' side of the story. Everyone's got reasons for why they act a certain way. I'm not trying to justify it - it's wrong and terrible, but I want to see the big picture.

Here's a video from AP, if you need more you can travel to Burma and apply to work on one the boats ask the Captain about it.

[-DLC-]

I have not eaten frozen fish sticks since seeing a report on the filthy pool of scum they are manufactured from.

I get fish from my family, straight out of the water. And that's the ONLY fish I eat...I never order it out or buy it. Ever.

In this day and age it is unacceptable for anyone to be treated as slaves or "caged". I mean, I fight for animals in such conditions.....I can't even fathom that people are still being treated this way!

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

I'm not sure if imported fish in Canada has the same standards as America. I know our food standards are more rigid and certainly more reassuring to the consumer, but I'm not sure where Canada stands on this.

But why are you so disturbed by this? Is it because it's food? Most if not all manufactured goods we own were produced by people who are less than slaves (that is, slave owners want to keep their property alive, whereas factories don't give a crap about the welfare of their workers).

[Buddhas Hand]

I have not eaten frozen fish sticks since seeing a report on the filthy pool of scum they are manufactured from.

I get fish from my family, straight out of the water. And that's the ONLY fish I eat...I never order it out or buy it. Ever.

In this day and age it is unacceptable for anyone to be treated as slaves or "caged". I mean, I fight for animals in such conditions.....I can't even fathom that people are still being treated this way!

180 years after abolition, why is it the slave trade is booming?

Danny Smith

We equate slavery with a bygone age. But as the case of three women found in a London house shows, it is far from dead

'Unlike drugs or arms, humans can be sold and sold again.' Illustration by David Gobson Photograph: Guardian

Saturday 23 November 2013 07.02 AEDT Last modified on Thursday 22 May 2014 19.00 AEST

Three women enslaved in an ordinary London house for 30 years: this is shocking. But it should not be a surprise. In the modern world the trade in human slaves is booming – indeed, by some calculations slaves alive today outnumber those stolen from Africa over four centuries.

In the ancient world slavery was an unquestioned fact of everyday life, essential to the economy and society of most early civilisations. There were slaves in the world's first cities in Mesopotamia. And the Talmud tells how Joseph, of the technicolour coat, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers.

Slavery developed after the emergence of three ideas: the concept of personal property; the realisation that humans, like domesticated animals, could enhance an individual's industry; and the principle of nations, which led to the possibility of peoples at war, and therefore prisoners of war, who were then used as slaves. In early African societies, slaves were a symbol of power, wealth and status. The slaves were prisoners of war, debtors and criminals, used for domestic purposes rather than commercial gain.

In 1444 a few hundred men, women and children were grabbed from the African coast by the Portuguese, baptised on arrival in Portugal, and sold by public auction. By 1460 a thousand African slaves were imported annually.

The subsequent plunder of the new world's natural resources meant a labour force was needed for the gold and silver mines (and later plantations). Slave hunters turned to England, and for a while Bristol's streets after dark proved dangerous territory for the young and gullible.

But the slaves of Africa distinguished themselves. They were skilled craftsmen, knew how to domesticate animals and were immune to European diseases. In 1518 the Spanish government issued a contract to a Flemish merchant, authorising him to deliver 4,000 African slaves annually to Spanish colonies. In Brazil the Portuguese reached the same conclusions: they had to have slaves; they had to come from Africa.

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The engine for the transatlantic slave trade had started. It was the largest international business of the time, with African slaves providing the labour that drove a new global financial system. It transformed the world, and our view of slaves and slavery, which became equated with Africa. Before the transatlantic trade, there was no apparent racial dynamic; as the trade developed, a racist ideology emerged to justify it.

England entered the slave trade late, but become the largest slaving nation on Earth. It brought riches and power, and everyone was involved: royalty, parliamentarians, churchmen, the celebrities of the age.

The campaign to end the slave trade was the first human rights campaign of its kind, and set the template for all such campaigns. In 1833, 180 years ago, parliament passed a bill making slavery illegal. Slavery was dealt a blow. But it has recovered well.

Kevin Bales, lead researcher on the global slavery index published last month by the Walk Free Foundation, has calculated that the price of a slave (on average $90, or £55) is at a historic low. Bales defines modern slavery as one person completely controlling another, using violence to maintain that control, to exploit them economically. Although slavery is illegal everywhere, Bales says 29.8 million people are trapped in slavery today – in debt bondage, slave labour, sex trafficking, forced labour, or domestic servitude. This compares with the estimated 12.5 million sent across the Atlantic to the Americas and the Caribbean – though, of course, the longlasting impact of transatlantic slavery over centuries cannot be downplayed.

Globalisation has seen the modern slave trade grow rapidly. It is easier than ever for traffickers to move "product" around the world. Technological changes have led to an increase in global organised crime, while the end of the cold war has weakened border controls. In 2005, it was estimated that regional conflicts and mass economic migration had caused 190 million people to move away from their country of birth. Human trafficking is easier in these conditions. And it's not hard to understand why it is popular with criminals: low start-up costs, minimal risks, high profits. Unlike drugs or arms, humans can be sold and sold again.

In 2010, Anti-Slavery Day was introduced, and awareness of modern-day slavery is growing. However, much still needs to be done.

David Cameron maintains that human trafficking is an important issue for this government, which in August announced that a slavery bill will be unveiled in the next Queen's speech. The MP Frank Field is chairing an informal inquiry ahead of the bill that has to be completed by Christmas. Finally things seem to be moving.

But new visa restrictions introduced by the home secretary, Theresa May, tie migrant domestic workers to their employers, making them more at risk of abuse – and less likely to report abuse that does occur, because the result will be certain deportation and probable destitution.

Campaign groups have outlined other areas that could be improved: a smarter national referral mechanism to ensure that trafficked people are able to access services; wider scope for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, as it regulates those who supply labour or use workers to provide a host of services; support for victims; and an independent watchdog. Above all, the bill must be backed by ringfenced resources so that law enforcement agencies can do their job. Without this, the newly formed National Crime Agency will always be a step behind.

As the three women who were freed this week begin their recovery, the rest of us must get over the shock of discovering that slaves may be living next door, and get on with the campaign to end modern slavery.

I feel angry and sad at the same time

[Mike Vanderhoek]

As much as it is sickening I am not going to pretend it shocks me, people have come along way in terms of technology and many other advancements. How we treat each other remains one of the biggest issues of our species and unfortunately will be until there is something that happens to unify us.

Especially being North American I understand I consume much more than is realistically expected or sustainable, I buy clothes and material items that people in lesser and sad/desparate situations make for me to purchase. And like most North Americans I will turn the channel after giving this some thought during a commercial break.

This is unfortunate.

[Brick Tamland]

Almost everything we eat, where ,use etc has some form of slavery attached to it

[Baka]

Honestly at this point I don't even care anymore. Life sucks. I won't change anything so I have fun without any cares. I am sure it will be hated but I wont buy into the whole raw raw let the average citizens fix it thing

[GLASSJAW]

Honestly at this point I don't even care anymore. Life sucks. I won't change anything so I have fun without any cares. I am sure it will be hated but I wont buy into the whole raw raw let the average citizens fix it thing

you won't change anything? you're talking as if reading the back of a box of whatever junk you eat is some big To Do

people who aren't conscious of what they are eating or consuming are sickening

[Mike Vanderhoek]

But at the same time you can't pretend to know and be conscious of everything or even 90% of what you eat, consume. A lot of the comforts people have come to enjoy do indeed come at a hefty price on other people's health, lifestyle, and overall life.

Until we all take a collective look in the mirror and actually see what it costs for us to have the many comforts we do have and see how it affects other people so negatively then it will be hard to change things.

[GLASSJAW]

But at the same time you can't pretend to know and be conscious of everything or even 90% of what you eat, consume. A lot of the comforts people have come to enjoy do indeed come at a hefty price on other people's health, lifestyle, and overall life.

Until we all take a collective look in the mirror and actually see what it costs for us to have the many comforts we do have and see how it affects other people so negatively then it will be hard to change things.

well, I'm certainly not saying that 100% of what we eat or consume needs to fit a criteria that I, or someone else, deems acceptable. But to put yourself in total willful ignorance is beyond pathetic, IMO.

And I do think "we" are taking a collective look in the mirror. Whether or not you or anyone else is part of that "we" is entirely up to you. Small/local markets with local products (whatever that product may be) are cropping up all over North America. It's neither difficult nor that big of a stretch to support local products for a lot of the stuff "we" buy.

I don't buy the "I'm only one person, my vote doesn't matter!" thing. This isn't like politics where we're stuck in this really awful cycle of talking points and voter cynicism. This is about business, I think. And money talks very, very loudly, even from only a few individuals.

[Baka]

you won't change anything? you're talking as if reading the back of a box of whatever junk you eat is some big To Do

people who aren't conscious of what they are eating or consuming are sickening

You read my post 110% wrong comrade.

I am not talking about nutrition or reading labels. I am talking about the people who are forced to work ungodly hours and tortured to get said food.

Unless you are fu**ing with me and I am unaware of it all I was saying was people in power should be the ones helping the slaves not some random civilian who needs to do 100x extra work to help.

[Mike Vanderhoek]

yes GlassJaw I agree, money is likely the root of this and money does talk.

Since having our first child, our daughter 5 years ago we have been instilling these simple things such as support local and really absorbing the world around her, so she knows how lucky she is and can experience what life has to offer. We have been going to local farms to buy our produce, it's a nice way to spend some time and support those in our community.

I am also in the process of getting into position to grow my own vegetable garden and working on ways to be self sustainable on my property.

There is so much potential, I simply feel I am desensitized to a lot of these types of stories and thus don't find it as shocking while still acknowledging the disgust.

[TLindenIsGod]

Labour laws at sea need reforming, freighters all around the world have near slaves working on them.

[Magikal]

Nope because I do my own hunting/fishing. More should do the same. Preservative/hormone/chemical free food.

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

Honestly at this point I don't even care anymore. Life sucks. I won't change anything so I have fun without any cares. I am sure it will be hated but I wont buy into the whole raw raw let the average citizens fix it thing

You read my post 110% wrong comrade.

I am not talking about nutrition or reading labels. I am talking about the people who are forced to work ungodly hours and tortured to get said food.

Unless you are fu**ing with me and I am unaware of it all I was saying was people in power should be the ones helping the slaves not some random civilian who needs to do 100x extra work to help.

Now don't take this too personally since it seems you know exactly what you're saying... frankness is always preferable to hypocrisy... but yeah. You sorta suck as a human being if you really think that way. So instead of trying to make an individual difference in your everyday life you would rather the government fixed things and dished out justice for you? Because the more power you give to the government as it is the worse this stuff is going to get. You yourself are probably a slave to the capitalist economy.

Labour laws at sea need reforming, freighters all around the world have near slaves working on them.

Labour laws need reforming everywhere. And get ready for some Marxist language here. As I said before, sometimes being a slave is better off than being a near slave, because a master doesn't want his slave to die. He paid a lump sum for that person like an investment, and you want to keep him healthy and strong for as long as possible. The near-slave is a product of global capitalism. The near-slave has never sold himself as property. The only thing he can sell is his labour, which is paid in wages. So even if the worker dies, there are virtually no consequences because the worker can be replaced at almost no added cost to the owner.

It's time we stopped pretending to be outraged and disgusted at the current state of slave trade while completely ignoring the effect of global capitalism in the developing world.

[Dr.Strangelove]

Nope because I do my own hunting/fishing. More should do the same. Preservative/hormone/chemical free food.

Same here before I moved it was so much cheaper , healthier and better tasting. Only meat I will buy now is from a local farmer who has chickens and cows. For Seafood I can go out and get it myself so no need to buy it.