This year’s Day of the Seafarer campaign, lead by the IMO, is one that particularly resonates with of all of us who work at Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI).
On June 25th, 2016, the ‘At Sea for All’ message will be shared and acknowledged throughout the world to recognize the importance of all those who work at sea for the benefit of all of us, not just the shipping industry.
Over 1 million seafarers operate the global fleets of ships that deliver most of the items we take for granted in our everyday lives. These workers go largely unnoticed, sadly only ever mentioned when shocking news hits the headlines surrounding the terrible working conditions many of them suffer in the name of profit.
Shipping is critical for the world’s economy, and yet seafarers’ are often exploited and forced to work in threatening, unsafe environments where wages, resources and basic human rights are restricted.
Seafarers are essential. They improve our standard of life, sometimes at the cost of their own, and we want to help share this message with the world, to raise awareness of the plights of fishers and to encourage everyone to observe just how important these hard working, invaluable workers are.
We campaign for and celebrate the work of seafarers every day of the year at SRI, working to improve their access to human rights through research and education. We are in the position where we see how much they contribute to the world. Please join us on June 25th to recognize their importance by tweeting and sharing the message using the hashtag #AtSeaForAll
Of course, this goes beyond the Day of the Seafarer. If you are interested to learn more about seafarers’ rights, please take a look at our areas of research.
