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Combatting unacceptable forms of work in the Thai fishing and seafood industry (Better Fisheries Programme) - Final evaluation

eval_number:

2547

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/2547

lessons_learned:

themes:

theme:

Planning and programme design

category:

Organizational issues

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comments:

The lesson is relevant for the ILO, donors, and tripartite partners in the participating countries.

challenges:

See below

success:

The starting point for the project was specific to Thailand. Two issues merit highlighting: First, at the time the project was designed, Thailand faced the prospect of significant consumer backlash and trade sanctions, particularly in the United States and Europe. Trafficking issues in the fishing and seafood-processing sector (as well as other sectors) led the US State Department to downgrade Thailand from Tier 2 to Tier 3 status in the Trafficking in Persons Report 2014. On 21 April 2015, the European Commission put Thailand on formal notice (“Yellow Card”) for failing to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, requiring the country to implement corrective measures in order to avoid a ban on exports of fishery products to the EU. While IUU standards do not make explicit mention of employment or working conditions, it was generally understood that the EU expected Thailand to take action on this front as well. This served as a major motivation for political and institutional reform. Second, significant efforts to address these issues had already been made prior to the initiation of the project, including the enactment of legal reforms, establishment of new enforcement mechanisms (Port-In, Port-Out Control Centers), establishment of a Good Labor Practices program in the seafood-processing sector, and initial worker organizing for fishers. Moreover, numerous civil service organizations (CSO) were already providing services to migrant workers and their families. These factors influenced the design and implementation of the projects as well as the extent of its subsequent success. While project activities in other countries may draw on the same body of knowledge on international best practices, they need to be shaped to fit each country.

context:

In February 2016, with the support of the European Union (EU), the International Labour Organization (ILO) launched a four-year, €4.2 million project titled, Combatting Unacceptable Forms of Work in the Thai Fishing and Seafood Industry (THA/15/03/EUR - 105548). The project aims to “prevent and reduce forced labour, child labour and other unacceptable forms of work and progressively eliminate the exploitation of workers, particularly migrant workers, in the Thai fishing and seafood processing sectors.” It focuses on four related objectives: (i) strengthening the legal framework, (ii) enhancing the capacity of the labor inspectorate to enforce the laws, (iii) promoting greater compliance with labor standards through the implementation of an industry-led Good Labor Practices (GLP) program, and (iv) expanding services to migrant workers and their families. Activities undertaken in Thailand under the project reflected the particular situation in the country.

description:

Projects need to be tailored to conditions in each country, recognizing the specific political situation and capacity of existing institutions.

administrative_issues:

Design / implementation

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/lessons/217334

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location:

country:

Thailand

region:

Asia and the Pacific

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eval_title:

Combatting unacceptable forms of work in the Thai fishing and seafood industry (Better Fisheries Programme) - Final evaluation