The Horrors of Trafficking at Sea

Maritime trafficking, also known as trafficking at sea, encompasses the illicit movement and exploitation of individuals across international waters for various purposes, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of modern slavery. This phenomenon occurs on ships, fishing vessels, offshore platforms, and during maritime transportation, exploiting the vastness and complexity of the maritime domain.

Trafficking at sea involves the exploitation of individuals for various purposes, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and organ harvesting, among others, within the maritime environment. This illicit activity occurs on ships, fishing vessels, offshore platforms, and during maritime transportation. Victims of trafficking at sea often endure extreme conditions, coercion, and violence, with limited access to help or escape routes due to the isolated nature of maritime settings. Traffickers exploit vulnerabilities such as poverty, lack of legal protections, and the transient nature of maritime work to coerce and control victims. Efforts to combat trafficking at sea involve international cooperation, legislative measures, maritime law enforcement, and awareness campaigns to protect vulnerable populations and hold perpetrators accountable.



In summary, maritime trafficking is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires comprehensive efforts from multiple stakeholders to prevent, detect, and address the exploitation of individuals at sea. This involves addressing vulnerabilities, enhancing enforcement mechanisms, and promoting cooperation at the international level to combat this egregious violation of human rights.

Modes of exploitation: Trafficking at sea involves the coercion, deception, or abduction of individuals for forced labor, sexual exploitation, organ trafficking, or other illicit purposes. Victims may be recruited through false promises of employment, fraudulent contracts, or abduction, and are often subjected to physical and psychological abuse to maintain control. 

Vulnerabilities of Victims: Traffickers prey on vulnerable populations, including migrants, refugees, seafarers, and individuals living in coastal communities. Factors such as poverty, lack of education, political instability, and limited access to legal protections contribute to the vulnerability of potential victims. Oftentimes, victims are promised a better opportunity due to their socioeconomic status, and are trapped in long-term contracts at sea. Perpetrators use language barriers to their advantage to coerce and manipulate victims.

Challenges of Identification and Enforcement: Trafficking at sea has unique barriers to identification and enforcement due to the remote locations, lack of communication, and hidden nature of maritime activities. Just as Naval ships are deployed for months at a time, promoting good work for the state government with limited interaction with their friends and family, victims of maritime trafficking are in similar circumstances with little contact with the outside world. Moreover, lack of monitoring, oversight in maritime zones, and involvement of many jurisdictions make it more difficult to identify and protect victims; as well as prosecute trafficking. One example, while ships are on land recruiting individuals, they may have them sign proper contracts that protect the rights of victims, but once they board the ships, they coerce victims to sign new paperwork subjecting them to abusive workplaces, lower pay, and other agreements.

Cross Border Issues: Maritime trafficking often includes crossing, or movement of international borders, and even through the sea. Because of this, perpetrators often exploit legal loopholes and jurisdictional complexities that benefit them. Usually, they will exploit differences in legal frameworks between countries, to protect themselves from prosecutions and detection, aiding to continue their illicit crimes.

Protection of Victims and Seafarer's Rights: Significant efforts to combat trafficking at sea have presented in the past couple of years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when many seafarers were stranded at sea for elongated periods due to the protocols and procedures of countries COVID-19 policies. The efforts also include measures to protect the rights of seafarers, and advocate to better help support victims, provide legal assistance, safe reparations, safe working conditions, labor rights, address language barriers and educate on the issue of exploitation at sea.

Labeling for Lent

We are thrilled to announce that we have a new St. Bakhita prayer card! Amy Heyse painted the beautiful piece of art that graces the front. Although we cannot print to order, we can share with you a PDF version of the prayer card.

We also have the prayer card available in Spanish. For more information, please email [email protected]

If you want to learn more about the USCCB/MRS'

Anti-Trafficking Program, reach out to:

Felicitas Brugo Onetti

Anti-Trafficking Education and Outreach Coordinator

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (202) 541-3064