EXTRACTING THE SEA AND EXPLOITING THE LABOR: INDONESIAN MIGRANT FISHERMEN IN TAIWAN FISHING INDUSTRY

Principle Investigator：Jonathan S. Parhusip (PhD student, SRCS, NYCU)

Jonathan S. Parhusip (PhD student, SRCS, NYCU)

Abstract
Despite the growing interest in fisheries development studies, the presence of migrants in the fishing industries remains overlooked. Slavery, trafficking, and forced labor of foreign fishers are well documented and seems endemic to the Taiwan fishery industries. The Employment Service Act, local labor laws do not cover foreign fishermen in DWF vessels. Meanwhile, existing international laws such as Palermo Protocol and The 2006 Maritime Labour Convention were insufficient and failed to protect fishermen's rights on high seas.

Given these reasons, my research seeks to examine further the employment practices of migrant fishers beyond simplified slavery, human trafficking, and forced labor frameworks. My research will provide critical analysis to the following research questions.
1) Why is Taiwan so enticing for many Southeast Asian fishers despite its horrendous images and natures? What are the differences between Taiwan, South Korea and Japan?
2) What are the roles of brokerage infrastructures in the logistical chains of cheap human labor?
3) How does the Employment Service Act support the extraction of human labor and natural resources at sea?
4) What is the administrative role of the Labor Supplying State, Flag State, Port State, and the State of Shipowners to protect migrant fishers?
5) How can we build cross-border or borderless social protection for migrant fishers?