Thailand is the world's third-largest exporter of seafood, shipping shrimp, tuna and other fish to supermarket chains and pet food companies in the U.S. and Europe.
But a series of investigations by the Associated Press and other news agencies have highlighted a pervasive problem in the Thai fishing industry: the use of slave labor from people tricked or kidnapped into working at sea.
On this edition of Global Journalist, a look at slavery at sea in Southeast Asia, and what’s being done to fight it.
Our guests this week:
- Margie Mason, the Asia regional writer for the Associated Press.
- Matthew Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights, a human rights organization working in Southeast Asia.
- Lisa Rende Taylor, executive director of the Issara Institute, a non-government organization aimed at stopping human trafficking.
- Hoa Nguyen, an international consultant who has worked previously with the UN and other agencies on human trafficking issues.