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Fishermen in Egypt: Insecure Rights
The publication of this report coincides with the discussion that is taking place in the sessions of the People’s and the Consultative Assemblies on the issue of privatizing lakes with its effects on the fishermen’s conditions.
The report is divided into four sections:
1. “Edku Lake: The Dream of Clean Water”:
This section discusses the various environmental pollutants that the lake suffers from. It attempts at emphasizing the effects of these pollutants on the nature and on the seafood resources, as well as the living conditions of the fishermen. In brief, fish flee to other places where there is no pollution and, in consequence, the productivity of the lake decreases. In addition to that, the fishermen themselves are exposed to various diseases. On the other hand, the report deals with the negative role played by the officials dealing with this problem.
The expected role of the maritime police is to protect the rights of the fishermen as well as to protect the lakes from encroachments. The tragedy is that their role is one of the main factors that lead to the violation of these rights by attacking the fishing boats and arresting the fishermen without legal cause. Meanwhile, It disregards the more serious violations, such as the illegal establishment of fish farms in public fishing zones.
The First Problem: “Disregard to the purity of the lake waters from the Nile plants”.
This problem does not only prevent the movement of the fishing boats, but also affects the fish nutrition and causes the accumulation of other parasitical creatures such as bilharzia (blood fluke) worms, causing diseases to man.
The Second Problem: “Stealing Fish Immature”.
Immature fish is stolen either through the Fish Mafia or through opening the fish farms to draw them in from the Lake. Such practices negatively affects the quantity and the quality of fish and in consequence leads to the futility of the fishermen’s work.
The Third Problem: “Abandoning the Fishing Craft”.
When the fishermen find no open way in front of them, they are obliged to abandon their profession or their fishing area and to search for other lakes. The alternative profession or lake are often less humanistic than the first ones, yet they find no other way.
These cooperatives, though supposed to be the fishermen’s representatives, usually abandon their expected role. For instance, they do not offer any support for the fishermen and do not protect them from chronic diseases or injury, etc. Moreover, the cooperatives are marked with arbitrariness and the absence of democracy, even in the choice of its board of directors {as they are usually appointed through selection rather than free elections}.
The Fifth Section: “LCHR’s Recommendations”:
The report ends in some recommendations which LCHR views as necessary to improve the fishermen’s conditions and put an end to the violations of economic and social rights. These recommendations are addressed to the governmental officials to work harder in order to guarantee the fishermen’s rights, stated in the constitution and in all the international covenants ratified by Egypt.
We are looking forward to the continuation of this campaign by all the concerned governmental & non-governmental organizations to fulfil a better humanistic life for all the suffering categories not only in Egypt but also in the entire world.