A better life after slavery at sea
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Help people rescued from slavery at sea in Southeast Asia seek justice and rebuild their lives
Anti-Slavery International, Project Issara, Slave Free Seas, and local NGOs would like your help in responding to the urgent needs of over 500 formerly enslaved fishermen discovered by recent Associated Press investigations. AP’s investigation into slavery in the Thai fishing industry led to the discovery of thousands of Burmese, Cambodian, Lao, and Thai fishermen, many of them victims of forced labor and severe violence at sea, stranded across remote islands in Indonesia. Some had been there for many years, eking out a life in the jungle, cut off from contact with their parents, wives, and children. Some were trapped on fishing boats at sea for years at a time, being sold and exploited from boat to boat such that their feet never hit land for years. Their rescues and returns home to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand were amazing victories, but freedom is only the beginning of their journey. Now, they need our help to rebuild their lives and avoid falling back to slavery.
Read about the investigation and rescues
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/197048ef871f4b56b4a129d0e3c0f129/fishermen-rush-be-rescued-amid-indonesian-slavery-probe
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/03/24/ap-investigation-are-slaves-catching-the-fish-you-buy
Meet some of the survivors
http://interactives.ap.org/2015/slave-fishermen/
What you can do
The men have been reunited with their loved ones, but the resources to help them put the pieces of their lives back together are scant, and much work needs to be done to help these men who have been lost for years and who returned home with little more than the shirts on their backs. Local victim service agencies are ready to assist with critical support services such as economic support, medical assistance, and legal aid to pursue justice and get back lost wages from their abusive employers...but resources are lacking. Anti-Slavery International and partners are asking your help to fund the work of these great local NGOs to make a huge difference at this critical point for these survivors and their families.
Many of the survivors have voiced a hope not for charity but to simply be paid what they earned during their years of work at sea – and with this money they could rebuild their own lives. Help us address urgent medical and economic needs, and build a legal team that will help the men get what they deserve so that they can rebuild their lives themselves.
Who we are
Anti-Slavery International in London (www.antislavery.org) is the world’s oldest international human rights organization, established 176 years ago. We support efforts on the frontlines to eliminate slavery and support victims and their families. Many of the local organizations that provide critical victim assistance are unable to easily raise funds in Europe and North America, so support from Anti-Slavery is crucial.
Project Issara (www.projectissara.org) is a public-private sector platform based in Thailand, coordinated by Anti-Slavery, working with a network of stakeholders across the Mekong region – including business, NGOs, grassroots groups, and law enforcement – to eliminate slavery from global supply chains. ‘Issara’ means ‘freedom’ in several Southeast Asian languages.
Slave Free Seas (www.slavefreeseas.org) is a network of specialist lawyers that provide pro bono support and expertise on fisheries and human rights, helping local lawyers to file strong cases against fishing businesses using forced labour - so they can win compensation, lost wages, and justice for victims.
Local partners would include community-based organizations such as:
- In Cambodia: Legal Support for Children and Women (www.lscw.org), Community Legal Education Center (www.clec.org.kh), Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (www.tpocambodia.org), and Chab Dai Coalition (www.chabdai.org).
- In Laos: Friends International/Peuan Mit (www.friends-international.org), and World Vision (www.wvi.org)
- In Myanmar: Karen Baptist Convention (www.kbcdd.page.tl), and World Vision (www.wvi.org)
We will keep this space and the Project Issara webpage updated with the work of the NGOs and the progress of survivors made possible through your donations.
Please fund freedom and help survivors rebuild their lives!
Anti-Slavery International, Project Issara, Slave Free Seas, and local NGOs would like your help in responding to the urgent needs of over 500 formerly enslaved fishermen discovered by recent Associated Press investigations. AP’s investigation into slavery in the Thai fishing industry led to the discovery of thousands of Burmese, Cambodian, Lao, and Thai fishermen, many of them victims of forced labor and severe violence at sea, stranded across remote islands in Indonesia. Some had been there for many years, eking out a life in the jungle, cut off from contact with their parents, wives, and children. Some were trapped on fishing boats at sea for years at a time, being sold and exploited from boat to boat such that their feet never hit land for years. Their rescues and returns home to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand were amazing victories, but freedom is only the beginning of their journey. Now, they need our help to rebuild their lives and avoid falling back to slavery.
Read about the investigation and rescues
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/197048ef871f4b56b4a129d0e3c0f129/fishermen-rush-be-rescued-amid-indonesian-slavery-probe
http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/03/24/ap-investigation-are-slaves-catching-the-fish-you-buy
Meet some of the survivors
http://interactives.ap.org/2015/slave-fishermen/
What you can do
The men have been reunited with their loved ones, but the resources to help them put the pieces of their lives back together are scant, and much work needs to be done to help these men who have been lost for years and who returned home with little more than the shirts on their backs. Local victim service agencies are ready to assist with critical support services such as economic support, medical assistance, and legal aid to pursue justice and get back lost wages from their abusive employers...but resources are lacking. Anti-Slavery International and partners are asking your help to fund the work of these great local NGOs to make a huge difference at this critical point for these survivors and their families.
Many of the survivors have voiced a hope not for charity but to simply be paid what they earned during their years of work at sea – and with this money they could rebuild their own lives. Help us address urgent medical and economic needs, and build a legal team that will help the men get what they deserve so that they can rebuild their lives themselves.
Who we are
Anti-Slavery International in London (www.antislavery.org) is the world’s oldest international human rights organization, established 176 years ago. We support efforts on the frontlines to eliminate slavery and support victims and their families. Many of the local organizations that provide critical victim assistance are unable to easily raise funds in Europe and North America, so support from Anti-Slavery is crucial.
Project Issara (www.projectissara.org) is a public-private sector platform based in Thailand, coordinated by Anti-Slavery, working with a network of stakeholders across the Mekong region – including business, NGOs, grassroots groups, and law enforcement – to eliminate slavery from global supply chains. ‘Issara’ means ‘freedom’ in several Southeast Asian languages.
Slave Free Seas (www.slavefreeseas.org) is a network of specialist lawyers that provide pro bono support and expertise on fisheries and human rights, helping local lawyers to file strong cases against fishing businesses using forced labour - so they can win compensation, lost wages, and justice for victims.
Local partners would include community-based organizations such as:
- In Cambodia: Legal Support for Children and Women (www.lscw.org), Community Legal Education Center (www.clec.org.kh), Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (www.tpocambodia.org), and Chab Dai Coalition (www.chabdai.org).
- In Laos: Friends International/Peuan Mit (www.friends-international.org), and World Vision (www.wvi.org)
- In Myanmar: Karen Baptist Convention (www.kbcdd.page.tl), and World Vision (www.wvi.org)
We will keep this space and the Project Issara webpage updated with the work of the NGOs and the progress of survivors made possible through your donations.
Please fund freedom and help survivors rebuild their lives!
Organizer
Anti-Slavery Campaigns
Organizer