“Pervasive human trafficking” helped propel Thailand to the top tier of shrimp exporters, says an Associated Press investigation. The AP says that despite promises by government and business to clean up the seafood export industry, “shrimp peeled by modern-day slaves is reaching the United States, Europe and Asia.” Arrests and prosecution are rare, says the story; sometimes migrants without proper papers are jailed while owners go free.
The AP filmed and followed trucks as they hauled shrimp to Thai exporters from the peeling sheds, and then used U.S. customs records and Thai reports to track the shipments. In the United States, the shrimp went to major grocery, restaurant, food processing and pet food companies. Records of sales to European and Asian companies were confidential but the same companies that shipped to the United States also said they shipped to Asian and European customers.
Workers are drawn to Thai peeling sheds by promises of good-paying jobs. But some of them arrive from neighboring countries without work permits and are told they must pay insurmountable sums to cover the cost of transport and food. Owners threaten to turn them over to police if they complain and pay wages that may be one-half of what was promised, said the AP. It said the U.S. definition of slavery includes forced labor and debt bondage.