The Vatican newspaper devoted the most prominent article in its July 18 edition to the challenges faced by maritime workers.
L’Osservatore Romano reported that workers aboard fishing vessels in countries like Indonesia often “fall victim to financial fraud, psychological abuse, and physical violence.” Father Ansensius Guntur, C.S., a chaplain of the Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) in Batam, Indonesia, described the work as “3D”: dirty, dangerous, and difficult.
Workers “are vulnerable because most have only an elementary school education; consequently, they are unfamiliar with fishing industry regulations and their own contractual rights,” said Father Guntur. “There have even been cases of fishermen who went 14 months without receiving any wages.”