Shrimp Scrutiny

The shrimping industry in Thailand is a seven billion dollar market. Shrimp is the most popular and widely traded food in the world. In 2002, shrimp overtook tuna as the most popular seafood in American house hold and restaurants. The push in the United States and around the world to make healthier food cheaper, eventually leads to the suffering of shrimp factory workers. Shrimp factory employers attempt to save money by employing forced laborers. The laborers are forced to work in squalor for little to no money. “I make 2,000 taka ($30) a month. The rent for my room in Chittagong city, including electrify, comes to 1,500 taka a month. This means I have only 500 taka (7.40) a month to spend on food, clothes, and anything else,” says one worker. Forty-one percent of workers are minors, and forty percent work more than twelve hours per day. Workers were forced to work overtime, and if they missed a quota, they were not paid. They were also incessantly exposed to harsh chemicals, have no access to first aid or health care, and have poor air and water quality. Workers also reported unexplained as well as arbitrary deductions from pay. 

A police raid of a major shrimp processing factory, Ranya Paew, in September of 2006 brought to light the true horrors of the shrimping industry in Thailand. Ranya Paew is described as a fortress with sixteen feet high ceilings with barbed wire caped walls. Here, hundreds of workers are trapped to work in squalor for extended hours, where it was the norm to face physical, emotional, and sexual intimidation and abuse. Women and girls were stripped naked and beaten publicly as a form of discipline. When the police intervened, they spoke with two hundred and eighty workers. Sixty three women and three men were considered trafficked workers and entered shelters. Twenty two migrant workers were deported. Eighty people returned back to work at Ranya Paew. Ranya Paew continues to operate. 

US consumers play a major role in the demand for shrimp. There is very clear and factual evidence of exactly which companies purchase shrimp from forced labor fisheries. Yet, business giants such as Walmart and Costco continue to buy from these companies. Walmart, Costco, Carreour (UK), and Tesco (UK) all import shrimp from companies that use forced labor. This problem would come to an end if people refused to support them and finance the continued use of slave labor. The Thai government also needs to be pressured to prosecute the known employers that hire trafficked employees. The shrimping industry in Thailand at large is guilty of forced labor, but the situation can be remedied because a lot of the issues have already been made known. 

The Editorial Board, . "Slavery and the Shrimp on Your Plate ." The New York Times 21 June 2014 : Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/opinion/sunday/thai- seafood-is-contaminated-by-human-trafficking.html?_r=1>.

"The True Cost of Shrimp." The Degradation of Work: Solidarity Center. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://www.shrimpnews.com/PDFsFolder/pubs_True_Cost_of_Shrimp.pdf>.