Only a decade ago, the Someshwari river in Netrakona attracted hundreds of locals, some wading in the water with their fishing nets, some bathing, others standing on the banks with fishing lines.
The 90-page report, “Trading Lives for Profit: How the Shipping Industry Circumvents Regulations to Scrap Toxic Ships on Bangladesh’s Beaches” finds that Bangladeshi shipbreaking yards often take shortcuts on safety measures, dump toxic waste directly onto the beach and the surrounding environment, and deny workers living wages, rest, or compensation in case of injuries. The report reveals an entire network used by shipowners to circumvent international regulations prohibiting the export of ships to facilities like those in Bangladesh that do not have adequate environmental or labor protections.
Dhaka, Sep 28 (EFE).- Nonprofit Human Rights Watch alleged on Thursday that European shipping firms were violating security norms by knowingly sending their end-of-life ships to dangerous and polluting scrapping yards in Bangladesh that lack environment protection norms and violate workers’ rights. In a joint report with the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, HRW alleged that many …