There is a free hot water service, why do foreign fishermen still take a bath on board? Social worker: AFD should set up a communication platform to face the problem

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The cold spell hit, and the cold wind at the edge of the fishing port was bitterly cold. Most of the foreign fishermen living along the coast of the ship could only boil water with kitchen utensils on board. However, in the past three years, the Fisheries Department has subsidized fishing associations to provide additional toilet facilities. as long as fishing boat owners apply for "bath cards", foreign deckhands can use them free of charge, but the utilization rate is less than 10%.

The reporter actually visited the Southern Australia fishing Port and found that there was a gap in the communication of information among foreign deckhands, shipowners, and fishing associations, which was very easy to cause misunderstandings. Chung Chia-ling, director of the Taipei New things Social Service Center of the ─ Catholic Jesuit Church, an advocacy group for fishermen's rights, says that bathing is only one corner of the problem, and the working environment of foreign fishermen in the fishing port is an overall problem, not only for employers and fishermen, but also for intermediaries. It is necessary for the Fisheries Department to set up a platform to summarize different views before effective improvement practices can be found.

There is limited space for small boats along the coast, and fishermen boil hot water on board to take a bath. Li Aming _ photographing foreign fisherman: of course I want to take a hot bath in cold weather, but give up if I have to charge.

On the New year's Eve in 2020, there will be continuous drizzle in the fishing port of Southern Australia facing the northeast monsoon. In the quiet alley behind the Mazu Temple in the Southern Temple, the faith center of Southern Australia, there is a mosque hidden in people's homes. In order to serve more than 1,000 Indonesian fishermen in Southern Australia, the Muslim General Assembly purchased homes and converted them into simple mosques, becoming the faith center of Indonesian fishermen in Southern Australia. Many factories on Suao Street and Indonesian migrant workers in Ilan will come to this mosque to worship.

The reporter visited Indonesian fishermen at the mosque. Ah Dou, an Indonesian fisherman who is fluent in Taiwanese, said: "I know that there is a bathhouse in the fishing port, but there is no card. (bathing) cards ask for money, and if you ask for money for a bath, you won't go." and the location is too far away, so everyone would rather solve it on the boat. The small fishing boat does not have a water heater but will also have a gas stove, so they boil hot water and take a bath on the boat. "

Adi, who speaks Mandarin next to him, asked the reporter to describe the problem slowly, then added: "if you can take a hot bath in winter, of course it's great!" But if you want money, people will not go. Of course, everyone wants to take a hot bath for free. "

Adi (right) thinks that of course the fisherman wants to take a hot bath, but he doesn't need it if he has to spend his own money. _ Lin Jiyang filming fishing club: the government subsidizes the establishment of bathhouses to ensure the "free use" of fishermen.

In response to the response of foreign fishermen to "pay for hot baths," Tsai Yuanlong, director of the Su'ao fishing Association, said that in the past three years, because the Council of Agriculture has allocated funds to subsidize fishing ports and improve fishing facilities and the environment of fishing ports, all fishing ports have added bathrooms. Each boat can apply for three cards, and the crew is free to take a bath. But if the card is lost, it will be reissued with a cost of 150 yuan, but the bath is free.

Tsai Yuan-long stressed that the cost of hot water was absorbed by the fishing association itself, only because of the lack of management in the past, the equipment was easily damaged, or the hot water was not turned off after use, and he was worried about wasting hot water, so he set up induction cards to facilitate management. I know which ship's staff are going to use it.

Suao fishing Association: the number of fishing boats applying for bath cards is less than 10%.

The reporter's on-the-spot visit found that most fishermen did not know that free hot water was provided by the fishermen, resulting in a low utilization rate of the bathrooms in the fishing port, and the deckhands on the boat were still having difficulty bathing on the boat.

Zhang Yucheng, the market management unit of the Suao District Fisheries Association, which is responsible for managing the bathrooms, said: "the bathrooms set up by the fishing clubs are provided free of charge. However, at present, the application rate is really not high. At present, only 8 or 90 have been sent out. " In other words, there are less than 30 vessels, which is less than 10% of the number of vessels in the southern Australian fishing port. "at present, documents have been sent to all shipowners informing them to apply for cards, but not many ships have come to apply." Zhang Yucheng explained.

As for the fact that the fisherman's reaction bathhouse is too far away from the fishing boat, Zhang Yucheng disagrees: "all fishermen have means of transportation in the port area, usually bicycles or electric bikes, and a distance of one or two kilometers should not be a problem."

Three shower heads and two faucets are provided in the bathroom to provide hot water bath 24 hours a day. Lin Jiyang photographed the fishing boat owner: the fishing club lacks publicity and does not know to provide services. if the bathhouse is too far away, it will also reduce the willingness of deckhands to use it.

After the fishing boat comes ashore, the daily care and logistics of foreign fishermen are often assisted by the captain's wife. A captain's wife, A'e, mentioned that the ship's family handled the problem of foreign fishermen's toilet:

"the Southern Macao Port area is large, and the bathroom is located on the outside near the third port area. Many small boats stop in the second port area of Neihong Road. The small boats are poorly equipped and lack of water heaters, so foreign workers are not necessarily willing to walk there a little farther away. Most of the washing problems are solved on the ship. In winter, some big ships are equipped with water heaters, and small boats boil water and bathe with gas stoves on board. Of course, shipowners will cherish foreign workers, and if it is very cold in winter, they will invite foreign workers to take a bath at home, but some foreign workers are afraid of embarrassment and would rather solve them on the boat. "

As can be seen from the map of the Southern Macao Port area, the toilet is located on the outside of the port area, but most of the small fishing boats that lack water heaters are moored at the innermost fishing ports such as Nanning Fish Market and the second Port area, and the distance between the two places is relatively far. therefore, the migrant workers said that the distance was also due to the low willingness of the fishermen to use the ship, Mrs.: the fishing association lacks publicity and does not know if there is any service.

A'e also mentioned the practical consideration that the shipowner did not apply for a bath card. Apart from the distance from the bathhouse, the fisherman may not have the will. She admitted that foreign workers sometimes do not cherish things, and it will be very troublesome to lose the card, and life on board is more comfortable in the first place. as long as the ship can be solved simply, the shipowner will not worry about so many details.

A'e suggested: "the fishing club may be able to add bathrooms on this side of Nan'an, Neifeng or Nanning Road. after all, there are some temples or communities that belong to public spaces, so that foreign workers can take a bath nearby and do not have to run so far. The establishment of a bathhouse requires the management of the fishing club to be willing to bear the burden, and the key point is to understand each other! "

A'e stressed that the vast majority of fishing boat owners want to take good care of foreign workers, and if the fishermen are in good health, they will be more efficient. However, she also admitted that "many fishing captains do not even know that the fishing club provides free bathroom service!" So even she didn't apply for the card. "

"only sending articles may not be useful! Many of the older generation of captains could not read at all and threw away the official documents. " A'e thinks that the fishing association should step up its publicity. After all, many boatmen still don't know it.