Labour rights activists Thursday called on the government to allow NGO networks to monitor Port In Port Out (Pipo) centres as part of measures against human trafficking in the fishery industry.
Natthaya Phetcharat, coordinator of the Songkhla-based Apostleship of the Sea: a centre protecting seafarers, said members of legally registered NGO networks should be allowed to work closely with state officials at all Pipo centres to provide assistance to migrant labourers.
In-depth information from direct interviews with migrants would also help prevent and address human trafficking in the fishing industry more efficiently, Ms Natthaya said.
The Pipo centres, located in 22 coastal provinces, monitor fishing vessels as part of the government's attempts to combat IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing.
Ms Natthaya was speaking during a seminar on Thailand's fishing industry in Bangkok Thursday.
The event, attended by several fishery and labour advocacy networks, was hosted by the Coalition for Ethical and Sustainable Seafood.
According to a survey that canvassed 300 migrant labourers in the industry across six coastal provinces, one-third said NGO operations help them gain better access to labour rights information.
They also had confidence in the networks and felt more comfortable talking to NGO advocates than to just the authorities, Ms Natthaya said.
The six provinces were Chon Buri, Phuket, Pattani, Songkhla, Rayong and Ranong. Of the migrants interviewed, 52% were from Myanmar and 48% from Cambodia.
Nearly all were documented workers allowed to work in the country legally. Many held more than two documents including passports, pink cards (temporary work permits), work permits, seaman's books and temporary border passes.
Only 4% did not have travel or work documents.
However, the survey also found that 39% of the workers did not realise they had signed employment contracts while 95% did not receive copies of the contracts from their employers.
Also 90% said they have never reported labour rights violation as they did not know their rights.
