logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
1 h

S1 E3: Slavery At Sea

CBC
About this episode

Ian’s account of his groundbreaking reporting on slavery in the South China Sea, the first time a reporter had ever made it onboard a Thai distant-water vessel using enslaved labour. Found shackled by the neck as part of the crew on a dilapidated fishing vessel, Lang Long was a victim of the nightmarish world of debt bondage. A global scourge, sea slavery is something most people do not realize exists. This episode explains how it happens, taking us for the first time on board one such roach and rat-infested ship on the South China Sea, worked by 40 Cambodian boys. The episode also explains how overfishing has given rise to trans-shipment, fish-laundering and a prevalence of abuse that companies and governments have a tough time countering or tracking. Guest Interviews: Shannon Service, Director of “Ghost Fleet” Daniel Murphy, Freedom Fund


For transcripts of this series, please visit here.

Up next
Oct 2022
S1 E4: From The Sea, Freedom
The sea has always been a metaphor for freedom – an escape from governments, laws and other people. This episode takes us off the coast of England to Sealand. A rogue “micronation” meant to embody this very freedom, which was founded on an abandoned British anti-aircraft platform ... Show More
51m 12s
Oct 2022
S1 E5: Waves of Extraction
The oceans are running out of fish. To slow down that problem, environmentalists pushed for fish farming or aquaculture. The problem is this industry became too big and too hungry. To fatten the farmed fish faster, they started feeding the high-protein pellets called fishmeal — m ... Show More
51m 6s
Oct 2022
S1 E6: The Magic Pipe
When a ship inadvertently spills oil, it’s big news. But every three years, ships intentionally dump more oil than the Exxon Valdez, and BP spills combined. This episode highlights a vexing and woefully under-discussed problem. It is made possible by corrupt ship captains who use ... Show More
49m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Slave Scammers
We all know a scamming story: Someone rings or texts you, trying to get your personal information or asking you to log in to your account. But what you might not know is that the person behind that phone could be someone who’s been trafficked and enslaved. Hundreds of thousands o ... Show More
29m 10s
Sep 2022
The Village Introduces: The Outlaw Ocean
The high seas are beyond the reach of international law – and beyond the beat of most reporters. But Pulitzer-Prize-winner and former New York Times journalist, Ian Urbina, has sailed into uncharted territories. Urbina sets out on a years-long quest to investigate murder at sea, ... Show More
55m 2s
Apr 2024
S26 Trailer: The Outlaw Ocean
High Seas. High Stakes. High Crimes. There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. Perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world’s oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant ... Show More
2m 30s
Mar 2023
A story of modern slavery in the UK
Ayo is a victim of trafficking and modern slavery and tells us his story of being taken from Nigeria to the UK and forced to work. We also hear from Emily Kenway, a former policy adviser to the UK’s first anti-slavery commissioner and author of The Truth About Modern Slavery, who ... Show More
18m 48s
Aug 2022
The Slave Armies Powering a New Kind of Golden Triangle Cybercrime
When the pandemic took punters from Southeast Asia’s most notorious gambling dens, their gangster owners turned to the web, entrapping thousands of unwitting slaves and putting them to work in high-rises, aiming to scam western marks out of millions. Nathan Paul Southern and Lind ... Show More
53m 58s
Dec 2020
Series 1: 6. Now I’m Calling the Shots
A torture prison, buying slaves and a dramatic escape: Sam continues her account of her years in Raqqa.This episode includes references to sexual abuse, extreme violence and some upsetting moments involving children.Reporter: Josh Baker Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent Produce ... Show More
32m 6s
Dec 2020
Series 1: 6. Now I’m calling the shots
A torture prison, buying slaves and a dramatic escape: Sam continues her account of her years in Raqqa.This episode includes references to sexual abuse, extreme violence and some upsetting moments involving children.Reporter: Josh Baker Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent Produce ... Show More
32m 6s
Mar 2025
Open Sea
<p>Today’s podcast will feature 2 sailing horror stories. The audio from both of these stories has been pulled from our main YouTube channel, which is just called "MrBallen," and has been remastered for today's podcast.</p><p>Story names, previews & links to original YouTube vide ... Show More
31m 44s
Jan 2018
"Modern Slavery" with Siddharth Kara
In his third book on slavery, which took 16 years of research, Siddharth Kara calculates that there are roughly 31 million slaves worldwide, at least half of them in South Asia. We need to apply much more resources and compassion to end "this horrible indignity." 
29m 59s