Allegations of sexual harassment aboard commercial vessels have hit the headlines lately, but support is available not only for victims but also employers.
That is according to Becky Newdick, chief executive of charity Safer Waves, which in 2019 launched a support service and helpline to those who have suffered sexual harassment, abuse or discrimination at sea.
"We firmly believe — and we will continue to emphasise — that reports of sexual harassment and sexual violence at a company do not necessarily mean [the] company has 'a problem with sexual violence'," Newdick told TradeWinds. "Sexual abuse happens everywhere, to all sorts of people in all walks of life."
However, she added that seafarers are particularly vulnerable. She explained that this is down to the isolated nature of their work, the rank structure on board a vessel and the lack of access to shore services, such as medical examinations, police services and specialist counselling.
"As with all sensitive topics, there is a benefit to providing employees with details of helplines that are external to the company," Newdick said. "Companies can display our posters on board and share our details with crew."
"We also recently ran a webinar aimed at helping managers ashore and afloat understand and respond to disclosures of sexual violence. We would be more than happy to run this webinar again if a company would like us to present it to their staff."
In the news
The majority of people who have accessed support so far have been women — especially junior members of crew — but men have also reached out for help.
One male cadet to experience sexual violence shared on the charity's website how vulnerable young seafarers can feel.
"Young people are outwardly resilient and will seem to be able to take the hard knocks," he wrote. "That is not the case. They are resilient to a point."
TradeWinds reported last month that a Maersk Line captain could be stripped of his licence over accusations of groping shipmates and other inappropriate behaviour.
Newdick said the media coverage is "encouraging" and that a spotlight should be shone on the issue.
She hopes that it will also help draw attention to the support services that are available through Safer Waves and the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network.
One of the stories to garner media attention recently is that of an anonymous victim known as MidshipmanX, a student at the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).
She claims she was raped aboard a US-flagged Maersk Line vessel in 2019 and that she knows of at least four other current USMMA students who were during their Sea Year. Maersk has said it is working with US authorities to investigate the allegations.
"The MidshipmanX story echoes stories that have been told to us, and it is alarming to see some of the patterns emerging," Newdick said.
One female seafarer shared her story with Safer Waves after suffering sexual abuse at sea by much older men — similar to MidshipmanX.
"I'm still trying to replace the 'it's your fault' rhetoric to 'it shouldn’t have happened'," Claire said in her story, published on the charity's website. "But most of all, I'm learning that there is hope. There is also power about speaking out and taking the power away from what they did. It should be their shame, not mine."
Seafarers worldwide can access Safer Waves' services via its website – saferwaves.org – or can contact the charity anonymously by emailing support@saferwaves.org
Coming forward
Other service users have said that by publishing the stories of survivors, Safer Waves has given them the courage to come forward and access support.
One user worked up the courage to email Safer Waves and "felt a real feeling of support and that I wasn’t alone" and lost some of the feelings of shame.
"Somewhere in that process, the power of what happened was gone and it certainly has helped me start healing from what took place," the person told the charity.
Safer Waves' email service is run by a dedicated team of volunteers, who can provide information and emotional support, Newdick said.
"Seafarers can contact us about a range of issues, from sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination, to sexual assault and rape," she said.
Safer Waves next year plans to run a survey to gather more detailed data on the prevalence and patterns of sexual violence at sea, Newdick said.
