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Mini Display “Not Just Labor; Migrant Photo Voices from Thailand’s Fisheries”
August 6 @ 9:30 am - August 7 @ 3:30 pm
Globally, trade in fish products continues to reach record highs, and developing countries now contribute over half of the value of total exports. Within this expanding world market, Thailand has emerged as a major supplier, with the value of its seafood exports reaching US$6 billion in recent years. A significant contribution to the industry’s growth is given by the migrant labour force. Shortages of Thai workers willing to work on fishing vessels, emerging simultaneously with expanding structural differences in population demographics and economic development between Thailand and its neighbouring countries, have transformed fishing crews to predominantly consist of migrant workers from Cambodia and Myanmar. Several hundred thousand women and men migrant workers are now employed at different levels within the seafood supply chain in Thailand, working precariously under various temporary labour migration regimes and constrained living and work conditions.
The exhibition “Not Just Labor” hopes to continue to amplify the voices of migrants in Thailand. Recognizing the contribution of migrant workers to Thailand’s society and the blue economy, this exhibition gives them a platform to showcase their photo voices. The display consists of photos taken on their mobile phone by migrants from Cambodia and Myanmar, who are now living in Phuket, Phang Nga and Chantaburi to work in the fishing and seafood industry. The exhibition, curated by Sayan Chuenudomsavad, Rosalia Scortino and Chawin Chantalikit and organized by SEA Junction with support of the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia initiative funded by the European Union was first exhibited at the 4th Floor Curved Wall at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) from 14th – 26th May 2024 to highlight the often-overlooked aspect of migration as an experience that transcends work. The displayed photo-stories capture the migrant’s overall day-to-day existences full of taxing, entertaining or simply mundane events, of interaction with their natural and social surroundings, and of dreams and expectations about the future. The message the photo voices (and the exhibition’s title) convey, is that migrants are more than just labor and more than the sum of the difficulties and exploitation endured. Against the dehumanized portray of migrants as faceless ‘other’, this exhibition celebrates their identity, agency, personality and other features of our shared humanity. This comprehensive appreciation of migrants’ experiences and aspirations, is essential to create an inclusive and more equitable society that uphold everyone’s human dignity.
As part of the 12th University Scholars Leadership Symposium organized by UNESCAP on 6 and 7 August 2024, selected photos of 10 photostories are being displayed in Booth 4, level 2, at the Bangkok United Nations Conference Centre. Even in this smaller format, the exhibited photos still convey how migrants’ lives have become interconnected with the larger Thai society, demanding more suitable integration policies.
For more information, please email: info@seajunction.org or phone/wa: +66970024140
Organizers:
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions, from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 407-8 of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre or BACC, SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information, see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @seajunction
Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia is a multi-country, multi-annual initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN), implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Its overriding objective is to promote regular and safe labour migration and decent work for all migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in South East Asia. More information, see https://shiptoshorerights.org/.
International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice through setting international labour standards. More information, see https://www.ilo.org/.
