Akhmad, a former crew member of a Chinese fishing vessel, shows his contract document indicating his monthly wages during an interview on June 10 at the port of Bungko Lor hamlet in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia. | AFP-JIJI
Jul 20, 2026
CIREBON, INDONESIA – Lured by promises of good money working aboard a foreign fishing vessel, Akhmad left Indonesia and headed out to sea, enduring months of abuse and exploitation while being cut off from the world.
Indonesia is one of the top contributors of labor for the global fishing industry with several hundred thousand migrant workers, according to government figures.
Many are recruited online and assigned to foreign-flagged ships without being properly informed about their rights, leaving them vulnerable to abuse, experts say.
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