torsdag 12. januar 2023

Ghana fishing: Abuse, corruption and death on Chinese vessels

When it comes to abuse and corruption on Chinese fishing vessels in Ghana, Bright Tsai Kweku has seen it all. He has seen Chinese crew treating local fishermen like "slaves", he says. "They beat them, they spit on them, they kick them," Mr Kweku says. "I have been through that before."

Mr Kweku works as a bosun - an officer in charge of equipment and the crew. He says he has been forced to work for three days without sleep, had food withheld from him and been forced to drink dirty water. The fate of some of his fellow fishermen has been even worse, he says. Mr Kweku says one of his colleagues fell sick with cholera on board a Chinese vessel but the crew refused to bring him back to shore for treatment. He didn't make it back alive. He saw another get badly burned on a vessel after a fire ignited onboard. Another colleague got caught by a propeller. Neither survived and the families have not received proper compensation, he says.

These are just a few examples of the alleged widespread abuse and neglect linked to Chinese fishing vessels operating off Ghanaian shores.