Report on Human Rights Abuses in the Seafood Industry and Their Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

This report details a legal case filed by Indonesian fishers against the U.S. seafood company Bumble Bee, alleging forced labor and human rights violations. The case highlights significant challenges to achieving several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The lawsuit, filed under the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), underscores the critical need for corporate accountability and sustainable practices within global seafood supply chains.

2.0 Legal Action and Violations of SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Four Indonesian fishers have initiated legal proceedings against Bumble Bee, citing conditions that contravene the principles of decent work as outlined in SDG 8. Their response to the company’s motion to dismiss the case maintains that the allegations are valid and warrant a court hearing.

2.1 Allegations of Forced Labour

The plaintiffs’ claims directly address SDG Target 8.7, which calls for immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking.

• Forced Labour: The fishers allege they were forced to work under abusive conditions while catching tuna sold by Bumble Bee.
• Debt Bondage: They claim to have been held in debt bondage, a form of modern slavery.
• Unfair Wages: The suit includes allegations of denied fair wages.
• Abusive Conditions: The plaintiffs report being isolated at sea for extended periods and subjected to physical and psychological abuse.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that at least 128,000 fishers globally are victims of forced labour, indicating this is a systemic issue undermining SDG 8.

3.0 Corporate Accountability and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The case against Bumble Bee scrutinizes corporate supply chain practices and their impact on human rights, a core component of SDG 12, which encourages companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

3.1 Supply Chain Practices

1. Sourcing: Bumble Bee sources the vast majority of its albacore through its Taiwanese parent company, Fong Chun Formosa (FCF), and a network of vessels.
2. Transshipment at Sea: The company’s continued use of transshipment—a practice of transferring catch between vessels at sea—is identified as a key enabler of labour abuses. This practice obscures supply chain transparency, hindering efforts toward responsible production (SDG 12) and creating environments conducive to forced labour (SDG 8).
3. Corporate Responsibility: Critics argue that Bumble Bee’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit is a move to avoid accountability and protect corporate interests over human dignity, directly opposing the principles of SDG 12.

4.0 Intersection of Labour Rights, Environmental Degradation, and SDG 14: Life Below Water

The lawsuit reveals the inseparable relationship between human rights abuses and environmental harm, impacting the sustainable management of marine resources as mandated by SDG 14.

• Link to IUU Fishing: The ILO has established a strong connection between forced labour and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Vicious Cycle: IUU and destructive fishing practices contribute to the depletion of fish stocks. This forces vessels to travel further and stay at sea longer, which in turn creates isolated conditions ripe for labour exploitation.
• Impact on Marine Ecosystems: The use of forced labour to reduce costs allows otherwise unprofitable vessels to continue operating, exacerbating overfishing and threatening the health of ocean ecosystems, thereby undermining SDG Target 14.4 (End overfishing and IUU fishing).

5.0 The Pursuit of Justice and Stronger Institutions (SDG 16 & SDG 17)

The legal action and the international response reflect a push for greater justice and stronger institutional frameworks, aligning with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

5.1 Calls for Institutional Action

• Access to Justice: The lawsuit represents a significant use of the TVPRA to provide survivors of labour abuse with a legal path to seek justice (SDG Target 16.3).
• Government Responsibility: Activists are calling on the Indonesian government to strengthen protections for migrant workers by ratifying ILO Convention C-188 (Work in Fishing Convention), a key step toward building effective and accountable institutions.
• International Collaboration: A coalition of 45 organisations from eight countries, including unions and environmental groups, has released a letter of solidarity. This partnership exemplifies SDG 17, highlighting a collective effort to demand accountability and promote the link between healthy oceans and decent work.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article’s central theme revolves around allegations of forced labour, human trafficking, debt bondage, denial of fair wages, and physical and psychological abuse of fishers. These issues are directly related to the goal of promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  The article connects the labour abuses to broader environmental problems. It explicitly mentions that illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices contribute to the “worsening of the ocean and climate crises” and lead to “declining fish stocks.” The practice of transshipment, criticized for its link to forced labour, is also a key issue in sustainable fisheries management.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article highlights the pursuit of justice through legal channels. The fishers’ lawsuit against Bumble Bee, filed under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), is an attempt to access justice and hold a corporation accountable. The article also points to institutional weakness, noting that “Indonesia’s protection of migrant workers is weak,” which calls for stronger governance and rule of law.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.
   • Explanation: The article is centered on this target. The lawsuit alleges “forced labour,” “human trafficking,” “debt bondage,” and “modern slavery” within Bumble Bee’s supply chain. The entire legal case is built upon these allegations, making Target 8.7 the most prominent one.
2. Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.
   • Explanation: The article describes the fishers’ working conditions, including being “isolated at sea for months” and subjected to “physical and psychological abuse.” The call for the Indonesian government to ratify the ILO’s Working in Fishing Convention (C-188) is a direct appeal to strengthen legal protections and ensure safer working environments for migrant fishers, who are in a precarious form of employment.
3. Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.
   • Explanation: The article explicitly states there is a “strong connection between forced labour and other crimes related to fisheries, such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.” It also notes that IUU and destructive fishing activities lead to declining fish stocks and that Bumble Bee’s use of transshipment is a practice “widely criticised… due to its links to forced labour” and IUU fishing.
4. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
   • Explanation: The lawsuit itself is an exercise of this target. The fishers are using the US legal system, specifically the TVPRA, to “have their allegations heard in court” and “seek justice and demand accountability.” The article also points to a failure in the rule of law, stating that “Indonesia’s protection of migrant workers is weak,” highlighting the need for stronger national institutions to protect citizens’ rights.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 8.7: The article provides a direct quantitative indicator from an official source. It cites an International Labour Organisation (ILO) 2022 report estimating that “at least 128,000 fishers worldwide are victims of forced labour.” This figure serves as a baseline for measuring the prevalence of forced labour in the fishing industry.
• For Target 8.8: An implied indicator is the ratification status of relevant international conventions. The article specifically calls on “the Indonesian government to take stronger action to protect workers, including by ratifying C-188, the International Labour Organisation’s Working in Fishing Convention.” The number of countries ratifying this convention is a measurable indicator of progress in protecting labour rights in the fishing sector.
• For Target 14.4: The article implies that the prevalence of certain practices can be used as an indicator. It highlights Bumble Bee’s “continued use of transshipment—a practice widely criticised by experts and increasingly abandoned by other major seafood companies.” Tracking the reduction or elimination of transshipment at sea by major companies would be an indicator of progress towards ending practices linked to IUU fishing.
• For Target 16.3: The use of legal mechanisms is an indicator. The article details how the fishers are using the “Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)” to sue a US company. The number of such lawsuits filed and their outcomes can serve as an indicator of access to justice for victims of transnational corporate abuse.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: greenpeace.org