TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said that the Indonesian government, in collaboration with international organizations, held an International Conference on Human Rights in the fishery sector, as a part of human rights violation analysis and evaluation efforts in the fishery industry.
"The conference is expected to be continuous to follow up what we have done and initiated to introduce or to ensure that human rights are protected in the fishery industry in Indonesia," Susi said at her office in Jakarta on Monday, March 27, 2017.
Susi asserted that human rights in the fishery industry must be protected, since slavery cases, such as that happened in Benjina, also happened to Indonesian ship crews working for foreign boats.
Susi hoped that the efforts gain acknowledgment from international organizations, such as the UN and the FAO, as well as European and African countries.
Susi revealed that Vice President Jusuf Kalla during his visit to Hawaii in the United States met Indonesian crews who could not step on lands for not having proper documents.
"It means that they are victims of human trafficking. We cannot let this happens. Therefore, people working in the fishery industry are prone to slavery and human trafficking," Susi asserted.
The International Conference on Human Rights is held by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, in collaboration with the Anti-Illegal Fishing Task Force, the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Right (AICHR), and the Foundation for International Human Rights Reporting Standards (FIHRRST), as well as the Belgian Embassy.
TONGAM SIAMBELA | ABDUL MALIK