Is shipping 'behind the curve' on human rights?

IT IS almost unbelievable that in the 21st century we should be talking about "modern slavery" at sea. Yet, at the recent major Nor-Shipping event, the Mission to Seafarers (MtS) felt it necessary to host a panel debate on "the very real risk of modern slavery in the shipping industry".

The MtS says that the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), introduced in 2006, guarantees seafarers the right to decent work conditions, accommodation, food and medical care, among other standards. "However, seafarers can be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse when working in isolated conditions, away from friends, family, and support networks, and while dependent on their employers to provide any means of communication with the outside world," it argues.

The MtS's specialist panel, made up of representatives from the Rafto Foundation, the Institute for Human Rights and Business, the Norwegian National Contact Point for OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and Human Rights at Sea, discussed the "challenges associated with tackling this issue, and strategies for its elimination from the shipping industry".