This post comes to us from Brett Tolley, NAMA’s community organizer.
Before hearing the tragic news I was unfamiliar with the full depth of Dr. Sharma’s work, although I did know of her role as the Executive Secretary for the International Collective in Support of Fish Workers (ICSF). I also knew the ICSF’s organizational values and vision as something we at NAMA share and aspire toward.
A human rights framework ought to be the foundation of fisheries management because it is key toward creating the basis for individuals and collective action, which we need to achieve positive change.
A set of values and principals for human rights already exists! We can look to many United Nations charters like the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights where it states that we must secure the freedom, wellbeing and dignity of all people; and protect, promote, and fulfill the rights to life and health, food and water, housing and property, a healthy environment, and culture for everyone.
Everyone, including disadvantaged groups, have these legally mandated and recognized rights, and the basis to claim them, not as charity, but as a human right.
Chandrika Sharma (International Collective in Support of Fishworkers) (English) from Simone Ciani on Vimeo.
We must collectively emphasize that fisheries are primarily about a model of food production and we must ask ourselves, what kind of food production model do we want?
This pause for reflection during a difficult time helps me to reaffirm my own commitment in this work, which as Dr. Sharma knows very well, is bigger than fishing communities and health of the ocean. It’s about promoting a world with more peace, justice, and human rights for all – something to keep in our minds and hearts especially now.