渔民死亡是虐待劳工的典型示例

AS IT IS 2015-12-07 Fisherman's Death Is Example of Labor¹ Abuses 渔民死亡是虐待劳工的典型示例

A Vietnamese fisherman was killed last week while working in the contested waters of the South China Sea.

His boat and the 13 surviving crew members returned to the port of Sa Ky on Tuesday. They said they were attacked by eight men on two speedboats while fishing near the Spratly Islands.

The nationality of the attackers is not known but Vietnamese authorities promised a thorough investigation² of the incident.

The attack underscores the difficult conditions faced by Asian fisherman in a largely unregulated industry. Not only do fishermen face attacks like these, they work under difficult conditions.

In fact, Nestle SA, one of the world’s biggest food companies, says it is looking into the labor practices of some of its seafood³ suppliers in Thailand.

Nestle SA started investigating the lives of workers after news reports about bad conditions on fishing boats, docks and at processing plants in Thailand. Nestle reported its findings in November.

The report described how poorly some of Nestle’s suppliers treated their workers.

Migrant workers from poor countries near Thailand were sold into forced labor. They were lured⁴ by promises of better income.

But when they arrived to work, they were forced to catch and process fish that end up in the supply chains of Nestle and other global food companies.

The workers receive little rest – often working 16-hour days – and little health care. The workers are also charged fees to be able to work, and that eats into their low pay.

Nestle hired an independent organization, called Verite, to report on the working conditions in Thailand.

Verite spoke⁵ with 100 people familiar with the seafood industry in Thailand, including 80 workers from Cambodia and Myanmar.

One worker from Myanmar, also known as Burma, said he saw workers pulled into the sea by heavy nets and left for dead. If someone died on a fishing trip, he would be thrown overboard instead of given a proper burial, the worker said.

Another worker said he had been working on a fishing boat for 10 years without being able to accumulate any savings⁶.

“I am barely surviving,” he said.

Verite interviewed workers, boat captains and managers in Thailand. It confirmed the stories of a violent and dangerous seafood industry that exports $7 billion of products each year. 

Verite found underage workers were using fake identities to get work. Verite said abuse begins as workers are recruited, hired and employed.

Nestle says it does not do that much business in Southeast Asia. But some seafood in a popular cat food comes from Thailand.

The food giant warns that many of the world’s big food companies run the risk of buying seafood from suppliers who abuse their workers.

Some analysts⁷ are impressed with the report.

Mark Lagon is the president of Freedom House, an organization that fights human trafficking and slave labor. He called the report “unusual and exemplary.” He noted⁸ that most companies would not look into their business practices or make the information public. They would fear being sued in a lawsuit⁹, he said.

Customers have filed lawsuits¹⁰ to force food companies to reveal where food comes from. For example, consumers who buy food for pets have filed lawsuits against Nestle and other major companies that process food from overseas.

The customers said they would not buy food that was caught by forced labor. The lawsuits aim to reveal the source so consumers can make choices about what they buy.

Magdi Batato is Nestle’s head of operations. He said in a statement that “forced labor and human rights abuses have no place in our supply chain.”

Nestle posted its report online and promised to report its progress each year.

Words in This Story

brand – n. a category of products that are all made by a particular company and all have a particular name

broker¹¹ – n. a person who helps other people to reach agreements, to make deals, or to buy and sell property (such as stocks or houses)

contested – n. a struggle or effort to win something

dock – n. a place for loading materials onto ships, trucks, trains, etc.

exemplary – adj. extremely good and deserving to be admired and copied

giant – adj. very large : much larger or more powerful than normal

impress – v. to cause (someone) to feel admiration¹² or interest

lawsuit – n. a process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement between people or organizations

recruit – v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc.

reveal – v. to make something known

retailer¹³ – n. a person or business that sells things directly to customers for their own use

traffic – n. the buying and selling of illegal goods or services especially between countries

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

4 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

10 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

11 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

12 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

13 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。