The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) is working with the Ghana Maritime Authority to ensure that human rights violations against fishermen on board fishing vessels in Ghanaian waters are addressed.
In addition, all fishing vessels that have been cleared for fishing in Ghanaian waters have been directed to insure the vessel and also renew it to ensure the safety of all crew members.
Speaking in an interview with Graphic Online on the sidelines of the 14th session of the Conference of Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, which ended in Accra on Friday, January 13, 2023, Madam Hawa Koomson, said that no one else. reserves the right to torture any Ghanaian fishing observer on any vessel.
FCWC
The 14th session of the Conference of Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the Western Central Gulf of Guinea, held in person and online, with the theme: “Supporting effective fisheries management for a sustainable blue economy.”
The conference was attended by fisheries ministers from the six FCWC member states (Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Liberia, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire) or their representatives.
The participants of the session considered the theme, reviewed the results of the previous year, and agreed on the work plan and budget for 2023/2024.
The FCWC was established in 2007 to promote and facilitate cooperation in fisheries management among member countries.
Abuse
For Madam Hawa Koomson, blaming the fishing observers means blaming the authority that put the observers on board.
“… because if you abuse the observer, I, the minister, you abuse because he represents me on the ship in the expedition,” he said.
The Fisheries Minister said he was worried that fishermen or observers would be mistreated on fishing boats, saying “you can’t abuse observers.”
According to him, a Ghanaian fishing observer who disappeared in a fishing boat some years ago is still being investigated by the Marine Police.
That, Madam Hawa Koomson noted, the Ministry has not lost the case and will put more pressure on the police to speed it up.
He said the new directive on the safety of observers and fishermen, as well as efforts to prevent human rights abuses on board the vessels, will help improve the welfare of all fishing crew members on board any vessel in Ghanaian waters.
He explained that under the new arrangement with the Ghana Maritime Authority, all fishing vessels are strictly inspected on various checklists before they are allowed to sail.
For him, all the 19 boats currently fishing in Ghanaian waters have good places for their crews to sleep and cook.
Madam Hawa Koomson added that when the ships also arrived at the port, they were inspected and the fishing observers were interrogated to find out if anyone had been physically or verbally abused.
“When the boat arrived, we called observers and asked if there was any form of abuse against them,” he said.
He noted that before the observers were not given fish when they returned from the sea but now they are given a share of the catch.
Source: graphic.com.gh
| Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not reflect Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no legal or other responsibility for the accuracy of the content. Please report inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a priority. |
Featured Videos