Prawns in Thailand

I would never have believed that the humble prawn was such big business. Thailand is the world's largest exporter of prawns and ships out over 500,000 tonnes every year. To put that in perspective, those tiny prawns altogether weigh as much as 2,000 Statues of Liberty. The volume is staggering, and so is the price. Prawn exports are worth over $7 billion to the Thai economy.

?However, there's a problem. The prawn shipping industry is rife with modern slavery. Unregulated ships operate with migrant labour in shocking conditions. The Guardian, among others, have uncovered horrendous human rights abuses on the prawn fishing boats. Thousands of men are bought and sold like animals and held against their will. Those who have managed to escape tell of horrific conditions, including 20-hour shifts, regular beatings, torture and execution-style killings. Some were at sea for years and given methamphetamines to keep them going.

?One Burmese escapee told of his captivity, "We'd get beaten even if we worked hard. All the Burmese, on all the other boats, were trafficked. There were so many of us it would be impossible to count them all."

?Ian Urbina of the New York Times has chronicled countless similar stories in his reporting for that newspaper and his book ‘Outlaw Ocean’, and anti-trafficking organisations consider the reports credible.

?Like many of the stories of human trafficking, we can fall into the trap of thinking that it is too far away and unrelated to us. However, investigations have shown that UK supermarkets have brought prawns from a Thai-based exporter called CP Foods. CP Foods UK managing director has admitted that there is slavery in their supply chain.

?"We're not here to defend what is going on," Bob Miller, CP Foods' UK managing director, told the Guardian in 2014. "We know there's issues with regard to the [raw] material that comes in [to port], but to what extent that is, we just don't have visibility."

?Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International is blunt regarding the problem: "If you buy prawns from Thailand, you will be buying the produce of slave labour."

?What is particularly heart breaking about this situation is how long it has been going on without significant change. For many years, NGOs have been highlighting the tragedy of modern slavery in the Thai fishing industry and across the wider Southeast Asia & Pacific region. However, a 2018 Human Rights Watch investigation, “Hidden Chains”, shows that "Thailand's billion-dollar seafood export industry remains infested with human rights abuses despite government pledges to stamp out slavery in its fishing industry."

?How can we, as UK consumers, respond to this abuse? Steve Trent, chief executive of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), who has been working with the Thai government on its attempts to wipe out modern slavery in prawn fishing, says it as well as anyone. "I challenge any retailers selling Thai seafood to consumers to guarantee that products from Thailand are free from human rights abuses and illegal fishing. They have arguably more power than anyone else, and they are failing to use it."

?We can hold those who sell us prawns to account. There is now a searchable public register of modern slavery statements. So, as a consumer, before buying prawns from a big company, check if they are on the register and what they are doing about modern slavery. For example, have they sought help from Slave-Free Alliance? If they are not on the register, reach out to them and ask why not! You can access the register here: https://modern-slavery-statement-registry.service.gov.uk/search

?For organisations, none of this needs to be an administrative nightmare. If you would like information on how your own company can effectively monitor your supply chain, you can contact me directly [email protected]