It is a story that unfolds out at sea and out of sight. The Guardian’s coverage of human trafficking in the fishing industry has uncovered beatings, torture and even death. All to bring us cheap seafood.
Horror stories of people forced to work for no pay for years at a time in the production chain of seafood sold by major retailers in Europe and the US have forced the industry to respond.
The question now is how far the fish industry, retailers and restaurants can go in helping to end human rights abuses and use of trafficked labour in the sector.
The Guardian will be hosting a debate on Thursday 15 September 2016, supported by Seafish, to discuss this topic. Please join us.
Our panel:
Chair - Annie Kelly, Guardian journalist, Global Development and the Modern-day Slavery project
Steve Trent, founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation
Libby Woodhatch, head of advocacy at Seafish
Further panel guests TBC
We’ll discuss:
• How big a problem is forced labour in the seafood sector?
• Can we resolve it through better monitoring and policing?
• How are fish traders, restaurants and supermarkets responding?
• Can consumers trust traceability schemes to give them slavery-free seafood?
Event information:
Thursday 15 September 2016, 10am-12pm
The Guardian offices, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU
If you would like to put your name forward to attend, please fill in the form below. While this is a free event, please be aware that space is limited and priority will be given to people with a connection to the event topic.
