Human Rights at Sea International has announced the launch of the Death at Sea Justice Campaign to push for increased awareness on the need to safeguard protections for fisheries observers, including their safety, security, and well-being at sea. Alongside the film’s release, it will also advocate for justice for Eritara Aati Kaierua’s family, and global policy reform at domestic and international levels.
The award-winning Death at Sea film follows the Human Rights at Sea investigation into the untimely death in March 2020 of Eritara Aati Kaierua, a Kiribati fisheries observer, through the eyes of the family he left behind.
Alongside his family’s testimony, other Pacific fisheries observers recount the abuses they have witnessed and experienced at sea.
Death at Sea premiered at the Everyman Borough Yards Cinema in London on 30 January 2024, and has been screened at universities, international fisheries working groups, and other locations worldwide.
Spearheaded by the film’s director, Sara Pipernos, the campaign will see to the development of an interactive multi-lingual website that includes policy goals, an in-depth dive into Human Rights at Sea’s previous investigation of Eritara’s death, timelines for future engagement with fisheries governance bodies, and exclusive behind-the-scenes clips from the film.
‘When Death at Sea first premiered back in January, it felt like only the beginning of our advocacy efforts as opposed to the culmination of a big project – and I’m so glad to be proven right. I’m grateful that we can now use this film to fight for justice for Eritara’s family and fisheries observers across the globe,’ Sara Pipernos commented.
The campaign aims to achieve systemic justice by supporting Kiribati authorities to deliver worker compensation to Eritara’s family and raise awareness globally of the need to increase protections for fisheries observers through screenings at festivals, fisheries governance meetings, seafood businesses and stakeholder events.
The campaign will also engage with UN bodies, such as the International Labor Organization and the International Maritime Organization, and regional fisheries management organizations to advocate for the ratification of global agreements and adoption of management measures that serve to protect both observers and crew.
‘We intimately understand the importance of achieving a global precedent of justice being realized for fisheries observers,’ said David Hammond, Executive Director Human Rights at Sea International.
‘Through this justice campaign and the wider release of the film, we aim to establish a benchmark for international reference of accepted practices and policies that serve to better protect and compensate fisheries observers and their families.’
