IOJI and Stanford University Collaboration to End Slavery at Sea

After collaborating for almost three years, the two IOJI co-founders finally met fellow researchers at Stanford Center for Human Rights and International Justice and Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions (COS). Collaboration is expected to eradicate modern slavery in the middle of the sea.

“Indonesian seafaring and fishing migrant workers are vulnerable to human trafficking and slavery practices,” said IOJI co-founder, Fadilla Octaviani in his presentation at the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions (COS), Stanford University, California, United States.

“It’s very sad, if you follow issues related to human rights on board foreign ships,” said IOJI’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Fadilla Octaviani.

Meanwhile, IOJI co-founder, Stephanie Juwana, revealed that the sea is a source of protein for more than 60 percent of Indonesia’s population. The sea is also a source of livelihood for around five million Indonesian fishermen, one of the solutions to climate change, a disaster risk management system and one of the main sources of national income.

That is what underlies the Stanford Center for Human Rights and International Justice, COS and IOJI since 2022 collaborating on research on human rights (HAM) at sea.

In a joint project with the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, these marine advocacy organizations are trying to play a role and overcome modern slavery from the supply chain. Efforts are expected to be in line with their commitments in the Tuna Traceability Declaration.

“At COS, we work from insight to impact. To do all of that, we have to have the right partners,” said Deputy Director of COS, Liz Selig.

“One of the really exciting things about this project is that it allowed us to broaden our horizons beyond the areas of environmental work we have traditionally done.”

The Tuna Traceability Declaration is a non-legally binding commitment to end overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated or IUU fishing and establish management plans to restore fish stocks.