women

A sense of allyship is essential for all seafarers; however, one group for whom allyship can be particularly valuable is women seafarers who, especially on merchant vessels, regularly experience being the only woman on their vessel or team. More than any other group, women seafarers report experiencing harmful onboard behaviours including abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence (ABHDV) – including sexual violence. They are often treated as less knowledgeable or competent than they are, passed over or ignored for opportunities they have earned, and subjected to inappropriate remarks and attempts at humour that can leave them feeling excluded or uncomfortable.

ISWAN has produced a resource for seafarers on allyship to provide information and guidance on the actions that seafarers can take – both small and large – to directly support each other and promote fairness and equity at sea. This companion resource explores the steps that maritime stakeholders can take to foster a culture of allyship and thereby help to make the maritime sector a safe and inclusive space for all.

There are two versions available for download, one for seafarers and the other for maritime stakeholders. Use the drop-down menu shown right to select.

Acknowledging the significant contributions of women in enhancing diversity and innovation, this study examines the current state of gender equality within the Indian maritime sector. By exploring the perspectives and experiences of employers, onshore employees, and seafarers, this research aims to highlight progress made and identify opportunities for further advancement.

This guidance aims to increase awareness about violence and harassment against women transport workers and ways to prevent and address the problem.

The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada decided that surveying our membership regarding the issue of harassment was a necessary step in addressing these problems that unfortunately exist on board seagoing vessels across the country, impacting tens of thousands of hardworking seafarers. Harassment has been a known issue in the industry for quite some time and the SIU Canada made the decision to take the first step in trying to grasp the severity and scope of the issue among our membership, after similar action was taken by our friends with the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union. We thank the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union for leading the charge globally on confronting these problems.

After recognising this possible gap in available health information and provisions which address health issues specific to women seafarers, representatives from IMHA, ISWAN, ITF and SHS designed an online pilot survey to find out how women currently working at sea view their health needs. This was conducted from the beginning of June 2014 for two months and was completed by 100 respondents.

Norwegian Seafarers' Union examine the incidence and extent of bullying/harassment and sexual harassment among the union’s members. A quantative online survey was sent to members. Also available to download are follow up in-depth interviews.

The ITF's ILO C190: A Transport Workers' Toolkit is a tool for transport unions that supplements the joint GUFs toolkit launched in June 2021. The toolkit is a useful tool for unions to build action and awareness using a set of briefings on issues that affect transport workers most significantly and how unions can identify targets and allies to strengthen their campaigns. Each briefing looks at understanding the issue and its importance for transport workers, what C190 can do to help, and activities to encourage union action.

The Mission to Seafarers has been providing practical and spiritual help to seafarers for over one hundred years. Everyday our chaplains, staff and volunteers visit ships all over the world providing emotional support, friendship and a listening ear to seafarers who may be thousands of miles away from home. Our centres provide a place where seafarers can have much needed respite from their ships and a chance to connect with family and friends via the free wi-fi which we provide. We know that seafarers need our support, but we need to ask if there is more specific support that we can provide for women seafarers.

The report explores some of the key challenges that women seafarers face so that we can then reflect on these and identify ways that the Mission can respond to their specific needs.

In June 2019, at the Centenary Conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190) and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 206) were adopted. The global community has made it clear that violence and harassment in the world of work will not be tolerated and must end.