NPR

This Fearless Woman Is Fighting To Keep Slavery Out Of Your Seafood

Ghost Fleet, a gripping new documentary about modern-day slaves in the global fishing industry, follows Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai woman who's devoted her life to freeing men from forced labor.
Patima Tungpuchayakul (right), a Thai abolitionist, with members of her team on a trip to free enslaved fishermen.

Ghost Fleet is a gripping new documentary about modern-day slaves in the Thai fishing industry. The film delves into the sordid labor practices of an industry that supplies the United States, Europe and Asia with seafood, but it does so by focusing on the compelling work of Bangkok-based Patima Tungpuchayakul, an abolitionist who has devoted her life to helping "lost" men return home.

She works with a former slave, Tun Lin, who was kidnapped when he was 14 and forced to fish without pay for 11 years. Together, they visit remote islands in Southeast Asia, where captive men have lived for years — never seeing their families until

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