In light of recent data revealing that the charge of “recruitment fees” is one of the most prevalent illegal practices experienced by seafarers and one that can put them in severe debt, Nautilus has urged for urgent action by governments and businesses, as reported by Nautilus International.
Illegal recruitment fees
A new research briefing by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) reveals that over 70% of seafarers who have experienced violations of their workers’ rights were charged illegal recruitment fees or were victims of fake job offers after making advance payments. The majority of those who experienced illegal charging did not report it, mainly because they didn’t know where to report such abuses. The briefing calls for urgent and determined action by governments and the shipping industry to stamp out this illegal practice. Almost 5,000 seafarers were surveyed for the research between September 2022 and February 2023.
An urgent action
IHRB senior advisor Frances House has called for urgent action to end this illegal practice, stating that all companies involved in world trade carried by sea must carry out their own due diligence. A respondent from Lithuania stated that they have not seen a single company that does not deceive sailors or extort their money from them. IHRB will host a panel on seafarers and recruitment fees on 14 June at the Global Forum on Responsible Recruitment.
7 Recommendations to Stamp out recruitment fraud
- shipping companies should ensure that seafarers employed on board their ships have not been charged recruitment fees to secure their work contracts
- customers of shipping companies – including charterers, commodity companies and traders, and container cargo owners – must carry out human rights due diligence in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- port state authorities must investigate any reports of the charging of recruitment fees
- home states (where recruitment agencies are based) must ensure that recruitment agencies do not charge fees for jobs, and enforce penalties for such practices
- ensure greater awareness of the illegality of the charging of recruitment fees, among seafarers, national authorities, ship operators and cargo owners
- effective mechanisms needed to penalise offending agencies and a remedy for seafarers who have paid illegal recruitment fees, including possibly, reimbursement by employers of fees already paid
- ensure seafarers know how and where to report such practices
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Source: Nautilus International
