It wouldn’t be allowed to happen in your workplace.
Why is it still happening at sea?
“I had to report repeated abuse…the toxic environment escalated over several months, I developed anxiety, insomnia and was really distressed emotionally.”
“I was assaulted by a senior officer on board, I suffered emotional and physical trauma and my family, who knew what had happened to me but couldn’t help me, were also so distressed.”
Quotes from real-life experiences shared in Sailors’ Society’s Peer-to-Peer Support Groups.
Your donation can help us change this.
We offer 24/7 support to seafarers and their families and we make a difference:
When May*, a female cadet, suffered harassment on board, our Crisis Response Network was called in.
“The harassment went on for quite a while, but then I was physically attacked in the ship’s elevator, and that’s when I reported it to the officers, who told the Captain.”
May was supported throughout by members of our crisis team and on their advice joined a Peer-to-Peer Support Group.
Thanks to our support and that of her fellow group members, May has continued with her career at sea.
Kabir* was an experienced seafarer who had been on many vessels but called our 24/7 confidential helpline when bullying from his fellow crewmates became intolerable.
“I was in fear for my life and just wanted to get off the ship.”
One of our trained team spent time speaking with him and counselling him.
After assessing his state of mind, they spoke to his company and advised repatriation.
As a maritime charity, we rely on funding from generous supporters like you to continue our round-the-clock support for seafarers like May and Kabir. It also means we can reach more seafarers with our Wellness at Sea training.
For too long, bullying and harassment has gone on out of sight, among an already invisible workforce – and seafarers have had to face the trauma alone.
This kind of abuse is so serious the IMO chose to highlight it for this year’s global Day of the Seafarer, putting a spotlight on the urgent need to eradicate this from the maritime industry.
It wouldn’t be allowed to happen in your workplace, or in any other you know.
So why is it still happening at sea?
Your support will help put an end to this.
* Names have been changed to protect identities.
Images are AI generated to illustrate a seafarer in crisis.
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could help pay our helpline costs for a morning
could go towards counselling a seafarer in crisis
could provide financial support for a seafarer’s urgent care or help with repatriation
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