“Confronting the Human Rights Crisis in Fisheries: How Arbitration Can Improve Fishers’ Access to Justice” Webinar

Press Release

Webinar

UN World Oceans Day 8 June 2021 13:00 CET

London, UK. On the occasion of the Annual United Nations World Oceans Day, themed Ocean: Life and Livelihoods, Human Rights at Sea and global law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP will hold a webinar entitled “Confronting the Human Rights Crisis in Fisheries: How Arbitration Can Improve Fishers’ Access to Justice” on 8 June 2021, 13:00 CET.

The Webinar will consider how an arbitration-based mechanism, giving victims of human rights abuses at sea a direct right of claim against the responsible party, could promote the protection of human rights in fisheries.

Topics for discussion

First-hand accounts of slavery, human trafficking and other abuses in fisheries.
Obstacles faced by victims of human rights abuses in fisheries when issuing complaints.
The collection of evidence for human rights investigations and its challenges.
Whether international arbitration and other non-legislative pathways can be an effective means of improving access to justice for human rights victims in fisheries.
The impact of the new Human Rights Due Diligence Tool.

Speakers

Speakers will include academics, legal counsel, sustainability and business professionals who are experts in their respective fields (human trafficking, forced labour, and modern slavery, human rights law, shipping law, international arbitration, corporate sustainability, seafood processing and supply chain management).

David Hammond, Esq., CEO, Human Rights at Sea, will provide introductory comments and open the discussion between Professor Parosha Chandran, Professor of Practice in Modern Slavery Law in The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, Ana Maria Soto, Regional Empowerment Program Manager for the Issara Institute, Richard Stavis, former Chief Sustainability Officer, Stavis Seafoods and consultant, John Burton, CEO World Wise Foods, and Dr. Elizabeth Mavropoulou, Programme Manager, Human Rights at Sea.

Alex Marcopoulos, Counsel, Shearman & Sterling, will moderate the discussion.

The Human Rights at Sea Arbitration Project

Human Rights at Sea and global law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP have partnered on a project to facilitate the resolution of disputes concerning human rights at sea using international arbitration. The project’s chief aim is to provide those living, working and transiting at sea with an effective remedy for human rights abuses, while also combating impunity for the perpetrators of such abuses.