The agreement that will regulate decent employment for the 38 million fishermen worldwide entered into force today, reported the International Labor Organization (ILO). ILO Convention No. 188 is an instrument that provides effective protection to all members of the sector, assured the ILO’s Director General, Guy Ryder, who acknowledged that there are still pending tasks. The standard establishes legally binding requirements related to work on board fishing vessels, which include health and safety at work, medical care at sea and land, rest periods, written work contracts and social security protection at the same level as the rest of workers. The purpose of this law is to ensure that all fishing vessels are built and maintained so that fishermen have decent living conditions, and also to prevent unacceptable forms of employment – especially with migrants – such as forced labor, human trafficking and other abuses. Nations that ratify the Agreement will undertake to control fishing vessels, through inspection, supervision, complaint procedures, application of sanctions and corrective measures, and may inspect foreign vessels and take appropriate measures. Commercial fishing is one of the most important food sources, it is essential for food security, it is considered one of the most dangerous professions in the world, and hundreds of millions of people depend on the sector for their subsistence. The ILO assures that sailors often face problems with decent work conditions, including informal employment practices, work in remote areas, weather and seasonality, and the dangerous nature of that activity in that environment.