Sexual harassment and women seafarers: The role of laws and policies to ensure occupational safety & health

Abstract

The #MeToo campaign has put under the spotlight an old issue and exposed how little societies have advanced since the first sexual harassment law was enacted. The maritime sectors are not free from this criticism with a number of aggravating factors. First, there has not been a separate discussion from the general one on sexual harassment on board. Second, this discussion is necessary in light of the work environment in which it takes place, on board a ship, and the fact that maritime professions are male-dominated. Third, enforcement of laws and policies in these matters is weak in view of the (potentially) different laws to which social aspects on board might be submitted. This paper analyses the already existing mechanisms to combat sexual harassment from a socio-legal perspective and argues that a tailor-made approach to this damaging problem is necessary. The traditional reluctance of maritime professionals to report any issues on board is aggravated in the case of sexual harassment, thereby a zero-tolerance policy has to be strongly asserted in order to realize a work environment free from discrimination, and enhance the effective recruitment and retention of women seafarers.