"Video: Fishing Slaves off New Zealand", 4 July 2014

Commercial fishing operations in particular exist in an environment that is often referred to as a jurisdictional black hole - a situation where there is no real social or legal accountability - with those most likely to be abused, least able to have a say or stand up for themselves, says Thomas Harré, one of the legal team at Slave Free Seas (SFS)...“This is a group of people that has had little effective attention dedicated to them or their working conditions which are arguably the most harsh on the planet. The failure of many flag states and the international regulatory system to adequately implement and enforce international labor, human rights and criminal standards has exposed thousands of seafarers to exploitation and abuse globally.”...New Zealand’s use of cheap labor on fishing boats was scathingly labelled ‘21st Century slavery’ in a US State Department report...