April 18, 2010 09:00 AM (PT)
There's a rumor going around the water cooler at Thai export officials central: it's time to crack down on child and forced labor in the frozen fish industry, because otherwise the U.S. is going to stop buying our products. I've not been able to corroborate the rumor that the U.S. is finally getting serious about an import ban on goods made by children and forced labor. But that's okay, because the Thai officials believe it, and that means they're cracking down internally on some of the worst offender producers of slave-made exports to the U.S.: frozen fish.
If you've enjoyed a fish stick in past few years (a school cafeteria-themed party recently broke my fish stick fast), then chances are you've eaten fish caught and processed in Thailand. The frozen shrimp industry, as well as other frozen food products have come under heavy fire from international human rights groups for exploitative labor practices, like child labor and slavery, and poor treatment of workers. The industry employs huge numbers of migrant laborers, many of whom are not paid legal or livable wages, and some of whom are trafficked. Overall, 22% of Thailand's exports go to the U.S., and frozen seafood is a huge part of those exports. A U.S. ban on goods made with forced or child labor would certainly force Thailand to clean up their fishing industry.
But the interesting part of this story is that Thai officials are taking action not because of an actual ban, but because of reports that a ban may be put in place. This could be an indication that the U.S. doesn't really need the tough-to-pass policy that would seriously reform our import system, but just the impression that those changes are moments away. Sure, an actual ban on goods made by child and forced labor would be ideal, but that is going to be hard to get in today's economic and political climate. A rumor might work just as well in accomplishing what we want to accomplish — getting the producers of products shipped to the U.S. to treat workers better.
Now, if only there were some sort of way we could quickly and easily spread rumors from continent to continent, and preferably with little expense ... hang on ... we do have that tool! And you're on it right now. Sure, all Internet rumors have really been good for thus far are casting doubt on Lady GaGa's gender and claiming Facebook is about to institute a new policy of forwarding users' inner-most secrets to all their ex-partners. But this is the new frontier of (mis)information. What if the Internet's unique ability to make people believe everything they read could be harnessed for good? Like for convincing foreign export officials from all countries that if they don't crack down on worker abuses right away, a heap of trouble is coming their way.
While the journalistic ethics instilled in me by my father (a reporter for 30+ years) prevent me from actively endorsing a mis-information campaign aimed at tricking people into thinking their goods will be unimportable to the U.S. without the proper labor and human rights inspections, I am intrigued by the idea. After all, isn't that the psychology behind any system of periodic inspections — people follow the rules all the time since they don't know when they'll be check up on? Would it be worst thing in the world if, somewhere between the nasty comments about Kate Gosselin and the speculations that the White House vegetable garden is actually a Maoist madrasa where IRS agents wipe their butts with your tax dollars, an Internet rumor got a Thai worker a better wage? Or helped children forced to scale fish for twelve hours a day go to school instead?
Perhaps the power of the Internet rumor can be harnessed for good. Until that happens, though, I'm going to try and find another one of those monsters that washed up on Montauk and see if I can make some cash.
Photo credit: sameliaz8
Amanda Kloer has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. She currently develops trainings and educational materials for civil attorneys representing victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence.
How Internet Rumors Might Save Thai Fishermen | End Human Trafficking | Change.org
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