What was the ask?
Beyond was recently engaged by a seafood sector client to enhance internal knowledge and capacity on various ways in which forced labour and child labour occur in the sector, along with the spectrum of penalties and designations levied against companies complicit in these violations, to inform the client’s strategic planning and action on the issue.
Results
Beyond provided the client with a comprehensive report detailing the various forms of forced and child labour in the sector. These included, among others, fraudulent recruitment, debt bondage, withholding of identity documents, unauthorised trans-shipment at sea, isolation, wage retention, and unsafe working conditions. The report also outlined the wide-ranging penalties and non-compliance consequences under different legal frameworks. These ranged from civil and criminal court rulings and orders by state authorities—such as shipment seizures, port and investment bans, and licence revocations—to suspensions from certification bodies and multi-stakeholder platforms, as well as pressure from civil society, shareholders, investors, and industry associations. While not exhaustive, the examples illustrated the rationale behind enforcement actions by both state and non-state actors.
A Global Framework was developed to categorise penalties and non-compliance designations, alongside strategic, tailored recommendations to meet the client’s specific operational needs.