The Center for Justice and International Law [CEJIL] has released a documentary on the plight of indigenous Miskito fisherman divers along the Caribbean coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua, where inadequate work safety protections, medical treatment, and compensation for injuries suffered in this increasingly-dangerous occupation have left many families in desperate situations.
CEJIL and local organizations have presented a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Opario Lemonte Morris et al (“Miskitu Divers”) v. Honduras) , which was the subject of an admissibility hearing in 2008 and favorable admissibility report in 2009.
Relatedly, a UN-backed treaty aimed at reducing the death toll in the fishing industry (currently estimated at 24,000 deaths annually) will enter into force next September following ratification by Palau. [UN News Centre] The treaty, International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995 (STCW-F 1995) (unofficial text here), was first adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 1995.