By Laudia Sawer
Tema, March 10, GNA – The National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG) has advised Ghanaian seamen working as crew members of fishing vessels to make official reports at the police station, if assaulted by their colleagues at sea.
Mr. Richster Nii Amarh Amarfio, NAFAG Secretary said it was not enough for assaulted vessel crew members to report only to the management of their company, but must consider it as a criminal offense and as means for personal protection, “report any assault whether on land or on the sea to the police for investigation, prosecution, and compensation”.
Mr Amarfio said this in reaction to a BBC report published on January 4th this year with the headline “Ghana fishing: Abuse, corruption, and death on Chinese vessel,” which suggested that the Chinese crew on the vessels flying the flags of Ghana treated their local fishermen colleagues like “slaves, beat them, they spit on them, they kick them”.
However, NAFAG said it was prudent on crew members whose rights werre trampled upon to report instead of keeping quiet and running to the media without resorting to the legal regimes of the country.
Mr. Amarfio who was speaking with the Ghana News Agency in Tema stated that foreign crew on board Ghanaian flagged vessels were employees just like their Ghanaian counterparts, and, therefore, had no right to assault or manhandle anybody on-board and people should not be afraid to report when they are abused.
He said issues of over work was also a serious infringement that must not be swept under the carpet by any worker as their contracts and international rules governing fisheries operations frowned on it.
He said when infractions happen at sea and was reported, apart from the police looking into the criminal part of it, the Ghana Maritime Authority and the Fisheries Commission would also investigate the issues.
GNA