Thailand’s Fisheries Reform: An Analysis of Institutional Responses and Degrees of Social Protection for Migrant Workers

Abstract

In 2015, Thailand implemented a comprehensive fisheries reform to address allegations of forced labour, trafficking, and illegal fishing. This paper conducts an institutional landscape review of the actors involved in the reform and their responses, mapping out the successes and gaps using a Social Protection Framework. The impact the reform has had on social protection for migrant workers is then examined through interviews with port workers and trafficked fishers. Close attention is paid to Burmese migrants who were trafficked onto Thai vessels to highlight the varying degrees of social protection (or lack thereof) for workers in the fishing sector. The paper argues that the policies of the Thai fisheries reform impact workers unevenly, and that vulnerability often depends on where the migrants work and where they are from. Not enough is being done to assist trafficked victims, particularly past the rescue stage.