Report References to occupational exposures conditions and abysmal environmental protections prevailing at many shipbreaking yards in the world, and in particular in South Asian countries where ships are dismantled directly on tidal beaches, are noted to risk adversely affecting the enjoyment of several human rights, including the right to life, the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the right to safe and healthy working conditions, among others. The report notes with concern the ongoing use of these substandard shipping yards, and their unsustainable “beaching” practice, by major shipping companies around the world despite the availability of safer methods and the prohibition on such substandard practices in their home states. In shipbreaking yards, workers often are exposed to toxic chemicals including asbestos dusts and fibres, highly toxic industrial chemicals which have been banned for decades but are still present in ships, as well as lead, mercury, arsenic or cadmium in paints, coatings and electrical equipment. Workers are often without protective equipment to reduce exposure. Prolonged exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of developing slow-progressing but fatal diseases, which may not become apparent until many years after exposure. Shipbreaking activities expose workers to a wide range of workplace activities or conditions which may cause death, permanent or temporary disabilities, injuries, ill-health and occupational diseases. Long-term exposure to hazardous substances and wastes protection may also lead to serious or irreversible work-related diseases, including lung diseases, several forms of cancer and asbestos-related illnesses. Most workers are illiterate, very poor and are not aware of the health and safety risks associated with long-term exposure to these substances. Persons living in residential areas close to the yards also risk developing diseases related to the exposure to toxic and dangerous substances produced during shipbreaking activities. Furthermore, a great number of workers die or are seriously injured because of work-related accidents or occupational diseases related to long-term exposure to hazardous materials present on end-of-life ships. Workers do not usually receive any information or safety training. They live in makeshift facilities which often lack basic minimum requirements such as sanitation, electricity and even safe drinking water, compounding health risks of toxic exposures at work. There is a general lack of medical facilities and social protection, and injured workers or their relatives hardly receive any compensation for work-related accidents resulting in fatal injuries or permanent disabilities. In spite of an increased international awareness on the issue in past years, shipbreaking continues to be one of the most hazardous occupations in the world due to the extremely poor working practices and environmental conditions prevailing in many shipbreaking yards. enforcement gaps • Opaque supply chains and the transfer of hazardous work • Inaccessible remedies, justice and accountability • Disconnected efforts on occupational and environmental health • Failures to realize the right to information • Limited progress in prevention of exposure • Exploitation of those most at risk • Restrained freedom of association • Deliberate efforts to delay or obstruct protection from toxic exposure • Informal economy 25 A/HRC/39/48 Health and safety legislation is often not applicable to shipbreaking activities, due to the fact that it is not recognized as an industry in some countries, and this leaves workers in shipbreaking yards in a particularly vulnerable situation. Furthermore, when national labour standards are applicable, they are rarely enforced due to corruption of law enforcement officials and the lack Challenges faced by workers