April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a month dedicated to raising awareness about sexual violence, supporting survivors, and promoting prevention efforts across society. While much of the focus often falls on land-based institutions, it's crucial to highlight the unique vulnerabilities and challenges faced by cruise ship crew members working far from home.
Two passengers were arrested at PortMiami on Sunday after allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
The suspects, identified as Ricardo Daniel Mondragón Leal, 37, and José Juan Prudencio Díaz, 36, both Mexican nationals, face multiple felony charges, including lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor and sexual battery on a child, said Miami-Dade police.
A 34-year-old chef aboard the Sky Princess cruise ship has been sentenced to one year in prison for assaulting a teenage passenger. Vincent Lucas, from Goa, India, was convicted after a four-day trial at Southampton Crown Court and will face deportation after serving his sentence, Cruise Radio reported.
Carnival Corporation has been ordered to pay an extra $2 million in interest after trying to appeal a $10.2 million verdict in a sexual assault case, bringing the total compensation to over $12 million. The ruling comes after a Florida federal judge imposed sanctions on the company for delaying the case for an additional two years.
A 25-year-old Brazilian crew member has been arrested for allegedly raping a colleague aboard the cruise ship MSC Seashore. The police arrested the suspect when the vessel docked at the Port of Maceió in Brazil on March 14th. The Women's Defense Police Station has confirmed that the victim reported the crime and registered the complaint.
The Italian Police arrested a 26-year-old crew member at the port of Cagliari, Italy on charges of sexual assault involving a co-worker. The victim is a 27-year-old female crew member.
Massachusetts State Police boarded the cruise ship Norwegian Breakaway on Tuesday night after a reported assault occurred on board the vessel. The Norwegian Breakaway departure from Boston was delayed for more than five hours due to the police investigation.
A spokesperson from MSP said that the police boarded the ship to conduct the investigation at 9:55 p.m.
With the rise of social media, so is the rise in accountability for people in general. The statements “what happens on ship, stays on ship” no longer applies as both guests and crew members rise and support to speak up against unacceptable practices. More and more news are coming as related to criminal misconducts that occur on cruise ships.
A crew member aboard the cruise ship Celebrity Equinox was arrested and charged with raping a fellow colleague while the vessel was en route to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
A crew member was arrested by the Croatian Police in the port of Split for sexual assault. According to the Croatian Newspaper 24 Sata, a 26-year-old crew member with Turkish nationality who was working as a cook on a cruise vessel sexually assaulted a 68-year-old woman.
