In March, Rappler released two articles exploring human rights violations experienced by Filipino migrant fishers, and barriers they face accessing justice.

The first article describes the experienced of a Filipino fisher working on the Chinese vessel Fu Yuan Yu 7895 in the Indian Ocean. The workers’ manning agency was Buwan Tala Manning. The worker experienced wage theft, exhausting night-time working hours and a lack of rest, a lack of access to water, and other abuses.

The reporting emphasises how the remote nature of fishing makes prosecution difficult. It also describes the exclusion of fishing vessels in the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.

The second article further emphasises abuses experience by migrant fishers, including wage theft, a lack of access to social security, illness, and other abuses. Manning agencies linked to court cases against them for alleged abuse include Britmark Shipping Services, against whom fishers chose to settle, Global Marine Offshore Resources (a migrant fisher pursued their case against the company over unpaid wages and won), and Able Maritime (the company declined to respond to journalists regarding alleged human rights violations previously reported by Philstar).