Assessing the role of information and communication technologies in responding to ‘slavery scandals’

The media spotlight on controversial ‘slave labour’ practices in the Asia-Pacific region has highlighted poor labour conditions across the seafood sector. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being promoted by NGOs, businesses and governments to help handle such labour challenges. This systematic review examines the state of knowledge and trends in the peer-reviewed literature related to the use of ICTs in offshore fisheries. While we hoped to find a robust literature in the area of ICTs-fisheries-labour, a coherent literature does not yet exist. However, our initial analysis suggests that two technologies hold promise for addressing labour abuse in fisheries, namely, (a) detection technologies, which include surveillance of the high seas, and, (b) the creation of mobile apps, particularly to help workers navigate work in fishing. This is where further evidence-based research is needed.