A damning report released by the Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) sheds light on a plethora of abuses rampant within India’s shrimp farming sector. The report, published this week, unveils a grim reality of forced labour, child labour, exploitative working conditions, and environmental degradation.
CAL’s multi-year investigations and interviews provide disturbing insights into the widespread prevalence of abusive practices within India’s shrimp sector, even among products certified by industry standards such as Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
Highlighting the significance of the findings, CAL points out that India’s shrimp aquaculture, a multi-billion-dollar industry heavily reliant on the US market, supplies major retailers like Costco, Kroger, Walmart, and restaurants including Red Lobster. India’s shrimp exports account for a substantial 40.8 percent of all shrimp imports into the US market.
Despite being a key player in the global shrimp trade, India has largely evaded scrutiny, with its shrimp products considered ‘low-risk’ despite mounting evidence of abuse, CAL remarks.
The report illustrates harrowing accounts of workers trapped in debt bondage, subjected to verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and hazardous working conditions, including child labour.
CAL underscores the complex and opaque supply chains in the Indian shrimp industry, making it challenging to trace product origins and perpetuating labour and environmental abuses.
Moreover, the report highlights the detrimental impact of shrimp farming on the local environment, including pollution of waterways, displacement of local farmers and fisheries, and destruction of mangroves vital for carbon sequestration.
CAL emphasises the urgent need for oversight and regulation from both Indian and US governments to curb these abuses. They caution against ‘fair-washing’ and ‘green-washing’ certification schemes that perpetuate exploitation within the industry.
As the report reverberates through the international community, pressure mounts for decisive action to address the systemic injustices plaguing India’s shrimp farming sector.
