By Zarena Hermogeno –
DISCLAIMER: This article addresses issues of sexual harassment and abuse faced by women seafarers. The content may be distressing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
Right after her marriage, “Mary”, answered the call of the sea. She worked for almost a decade in cruises, yet she still yearned to travel to various parts of the world. This urged her to sign her first contract at another cruise company.
However, just several weeks into the job, her dream to travel quickly became a nightmare.
According to “Mary,” she experienced relentless bullying for 3 months over a rumor started by a male co-worker, a maintenance man who routinely fixed the leaks within their quarters. During their initial meeting, the male co-worker suggested that they exchange contact numbers to easily contact him whenever there is a leakage. As she constantly reached out to him for leakage problems, her male co-worker took it differently.
“Hanggang yung lalaki na yun chat nang chat nangangamusta, “punta ka dito”, “kumain ka na?”, “punta ka rito sa party, may pagkain”—never po ako sumama, nakikisama po ako kasi friendship ba,siyemre kapwa-Pilipino nakikipagkaibigan hanggang dumating sa time na: “Gusto kita”, “Mahal na kita”, wala naman po akong binibigay na motive,” she said.
(“Until that guy kept chatting and checking in—’come over here,’ ‘have you eaten?’, ‘come to the party, there’s food’—I never went with him. I was just being friendly because, you know, friendship, fellow Filipino, being sociable. Then it reached a point where he said, ‘I like you,’ ‘I love you.’ But I never gave any motive or reason for that.”)
“Mary” said that it even came to the point where their toilet’s door was being opened at night without “Mary” and her roommates’ knowledge to “trigger” a leakage, prompting him to visit their quarters again.
But what disturbed “Mary” was the constant jeering by a whole group of her male peers, calling her “Aubrey,” referencing a local TV show character who is a prostitute. She said that they would even tease and laugh at her clueless face as they mockingly called her “Aubrey.”
“Sa canteen po, so dumaan po ako, “Ayan na si Aubrey oh, Aubrey Aubrey!” gumaganon na po sila grupo po sila tapos nagtataasan ng kamay, nagtatawanan, ako not knowing, bakit nila po ako tinatawag nang ganon? Tsaka deep inside, babae po ako, Aubrey–napaka-sensitive po yun para sabihan kang pokpok—ng salitang hindi naman pangalan mo, babansagan ka ng ganon masakit po sa akin yun, wala po akong kakilala, wala po akong kaibigan, malayo pa yung asawa ko,” she said.
(“It happened in the canteen, so I passed by and they started saying, ‘There goes Aubrey, Aubrey, Aubrey!’—they were a group, raising their hands and laughing. I didn’t even know why they were calling me like that. And deep inside, I’m a woman—being called ‘Aubrey’ like that, it’s really sensitive for me, especially being labeled a ‘pokpok’ [a derogatory term meaning prostitute]—a word that’s not even my name. To be branded like that—it really hurt. I didn’t know anyone, I had no friends, and my husband was far away.”)
The bullying soon became a practice, said “Mary,” and when it became too much, she skipped meals just to momentarily save herself from embarrassment.
She only ate during her break time in the evenings, alone. And whenever they saw her, they would murmur, snicker, and exchange malicious glances as she walked past.
At first, “Mary” did not know why she was being called “Aubrey” but when she decided to report the incident to the HR, the questions on the written report form narrowed her search. She believed that the rumors started when she tried to turn down the maintenance man’s continuous requests for an extramarital relationship.
“So nagsumbong na po ako sa HR nun, nagpagawa na po ako ng written (report), habang gumagawa po ng written, may question po doon na ‘kailan to nag-start?’, ‘bakit nag-start?’ hanggang sa kakasulat ko, lahat ng kwento ko, pumoint-out doon sa una, yung binasted ko parang nagkaroon po ako ng revelation na kaya nangyari sakin to dahil sa lalaking to na siya lang yung suspect eh, wala naman akong kinakausap na iba eh, wala naman akong ka-close doon kasi first contract, sa kanya lang bumagsak lahat,” she said.
(“So I reported it to HR and submitted a written report. While I was writing it, there were questions like ‘When did this start?’ and ‘Why did it start?’ As I kept writing my story, everything pointed back to the beginning—to the guy I rejected. It was like a revelation for me, that all of this happened because of him. He was the only suspect—I wasn’t talking to anyone else, I wasn’t close to anyone there because it was my first contract. Everything just pointed to him.”)
In her report, “Mary” also included an incident involving her manager who touched her bottom without consent. There were times when he would even watch her working out at the gym.
Along with her written report, she also requested for a reassignment to another ship because of the incident. The cruise company promised her to be detailed in Miami but in October 2024, “Mary” faced the unexpected – she was terminated.
Defenseless, “Mary” was left with no choice but to be repatriated or returned to home country with nothing but a terminated contract and the haunting scars of her experiences. The once-glimmering seas that called her now mirrored a dark, suffocating abyss.
Carried by the same current
After decades of being a seafarer, Marita Saguisabal, 40, is now a Recruitment and Training Supervisor at Transglobal Maritime Company. But even now that she is out of the waters, she can still remember vividly how she, too, experienced harassment during her early years as a seafarer.
“Nung unang act ko as 3rd officer, ang kapitan ko is Pilipino, tatawag yan sa kwarto ko sasabihin: ‘Diyan ako matutulog’, so pag nag-refuse ka di nila matatanggap yun kinabukasan, yung trabaho ko laging mali. Kasi both Pilipino kami, so iisipin mo yung security mo andon na, pero hindi ganon,” she recalled.
(“During my first assignment as a 3rd officer, my captain was a Filipino. He would call me in my room and say, ‘I’ll sleep there.’ And if you refuse, they won’t accept it—by the next day, everything I do at work is suddenly wrong. Since we’re both Filipino, you’d think your safety is assured—but it wasn’t like that at all.”)
But it isn’t about nationality, says Saguisabal, emphasizing that years ago, gender discrimination and harassment on women seafarers were considered a global norm and when women don’t give in to the requests of male high-ranking officials onboard, they are met with harder tasks.
“Yung isa kong Romanian na kapitan harap-harapan sasabihin ‘I want to have sex with you’ e-explain ko sa kanya na iba yung culture. Ie-explain ko na sa Pilipinas, hindi kami basta basta naggaganyan. Hindi nila matanggap kasi mostly insulto sa kanila yun, after non, pahihirapan ka na. Lagi ka na pagagalitan non, uutusan ka. Natuto akong umakyat ng crane–mag-operate ng crane dahil sa kanya. Mas madaling umakyat ng crane kesa tumabi sa yo (kapitan),” she said.
(“One of my Romanian captains would blatantly say, ‘I want to have sex with you.’ I would try to explain to him that our culture is different. I’d explain that in the Philippines, we don’t do things like that so casually. But they couldn’t accept that—most of them take it as an insult. After that, they’d make things difficult for you. He would always scold me, order me around. I learned how to climb and operate a crane because of him. Climbing a crane was easier than sitting next to you (captain).”)
To cope, young Saguisabal would just “play around” with their malicious jokes and ignore it. She said she had no other choice as there was no HR, counselor, or representative for those cases onboard during those times. There was a crew supervisor, but even if she did report, it would cost her job.
Just like “Mary,” when she chose to speak up, Saguisabal was terminated and was forced to be rehired at another company.
“Kaya may mga babaeng naka-encounter ng ganyan hindi na nagsasalita, kasi once na nagsalita sila, yung posisyon nila sa company nawawala. […] That time nagsabi nagsabi ako sa company, at the end of the day, ako yung nawala sa company. Si Kapitan tuloy ang buhay. Isa yun sa rason kung bakit may mga ayaw magsalita. Dalawa kasi yan eh p-protektahan mo yung sarili mo o p-protektahan mo yung career mo,” she said.
(“That’s why many women who experience things like that choose not to speak up—because once they do, they lose their position in the company. […] At that time, I reported it to the company, and at the end of the day, I was the one who got removed. The captain continued on with his life. That’s one of the reasons why many are afraid to speak out. It’s always a choice between two things: protecting yourself or protecting your career.”)
Not a woman’s place?
The maritime industry has historically been a man’s turf. Due to the nature of the work that mostly requires the skills that a male is physically able to do, along with culturally-ingrained gender stereotypes, women have long been placed on the sidelines. As a result, women seafarers have been subject to discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying among their male peers.
Female seafarers are no exception, as University of the Philippines Assistant Professor Lucia Tangi affirms from her decade-worth of research and interviews with Filipina seafarers, most of them have experienced some form of sexual harassment.
Moreso, combined survey results from international maritime organizations in 2022 revealed that 66% of respondents confirmed the presence of harassment and intimidation done by male employees to their female co-workers, with the Philippines sharing the largest proportion of the data.
With the recent enactment of the Magna Carta for Seafarers in 2024, among its objectives is to “afford greater protection to seafarers from nefarious practices that threaten their livelihood and compromise their well-being.”
Yet in spite of this initiative, some “she-farers” are left alone to battle their own storms, just like “Mary” and Marita who sought help from the HR and people within the company whom they believed could be of help, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears and remain unheard and unseen in the vast, merciless sea.
One call away
As women seafarers are cornered onboard with no other dependable options for help, a 24/7 free, confidential, multilingual, independent helpline operated by a UK-based non-government organization, International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) was established. Called SeafarerHelp, this hotline provides emotional, wellbeing and practical support to seafarers and their families of any nationality.
“Mary,” who found ISWAN upon browsing the internet, was one of SeafarerHelp’s callers. After being repatriated, “Mary” was facing financial challenges as her employment was discontinued. Moreover, the incident onboard took a toll on her mental health.
Through the SeafarerHelp hotline, “Mary” was given free counseling and referral to various government agencies on livelihood support. She added that without ISWAN, she wouldn’t have known certain benefits that were available to repatriated seawomen.
ISWAN also helped her file a case to the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) which is currently ongoing as of press time.
“Pagpunta ko po dito, napaka-accommodating po ng ISWAN lalo na si Ma’am Rhona binigyan niya po ako ng guide kung anong gagawin sa kaso ko po. […] tinuro niya po ako sa DMW, sa Action Fund, sa OWWA—yung livelihood program, guinide niya rin po ako sa AMOSUP yung sa attorney, legal advice kung anong dapat gawin hanggang sa makarating po ako ng NLRC para mag-file po sa dati ko pong kumpanya. So napakalaking tulong po sa akin ng ISWAN sa mga dapat gawin, sa karapatan ko bilang seawoman, sa mga claims and tulong ng gobyerno,” she said.
(“When I came here, ISWAN was very accommodating—especially Ma’am Rhona. She gave me guidance on what to do about my case. […] She referred me to the DMW (Department of Migrant Workers), the Action Fund, and OWWA—for their livelihood program. She also guided me to AMOSUP for legal advice from an attorney, on what steps to take, until I was able to reach the NLRC to file a case against my former company. ISWAN was a huge help to me—in knowing what to do, understanding my rights as a seawoman, and accessing government support and claims.”)
Based on their 2023-2024 data, ISWAN’s team in the Philippines have handled 5,386 seafarers and their families while catering to more than 8,805 calls and messages in which the Philippines ranked second from their worldwide callers. Aside from SeafarerHelp, ISWAN also provides curated mental health guidebooks and activities specifically written for seafarers.
Rhona Junsay, Helpline Officer, said SeafarerHelp is a “crucial resource” that aims to respond to the “unique” challenges of seafarers. Among these are Abuse, Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence (ABHDV) concerns. Based on ISWAN’s data, there has been a rise in ABHDV with 167 cases reported in 2022-2023, with 9.8% of women reporting these cases.
But in spite of ISWAN’s tireless trek to provide support for their beneficiaries, their journey cuts short in certain areas. Gemilyn Rose Lat, ISWAN-Philippines’s Communications Officer, admits that even if the SeafarerHelp can be easily accessed online or offline, majority of the seafarers are unaware of its existence and the services that they offer.
“We need to be more visible. Lahat ng welfare organization yun yung, I think, first step na kailangan gawin para mas ma-reach natin yung larger audience kasi malaki ang community ng maritime industry pero ilan lang sa kanila yung aware na there are welfare organizations na handang makinig at tumulong sa kanila so visibility yung number 1 na kailangan,” she said.
(Translated: “We need to be more visible. I think that’s the first step all welfare organizations need to take so we can reach a larger audience. The maritime industry has a big community, but only a few are aware that there are welfare organizations ready to listen and help them—so visibility is the number one priority.”)
Moreover, even if the job gets done, Junsay mentioned that in certain cases ISWAN-Philippines is challenged by being a triad team especially when there are more seafarers that need their services than they are physically able to cater to.
In frame: Gemilyn Lat (left) and Rhona Jhunsay
Still, Junsay and Lat emphasizes that ISWAN and SeafarerHelp goes beyond being just an NGO-led hotline providing emotional support and guidance, rather they aim to educate seafarers of their rights and other platforms that could help them.
“Pwede rin kaming makatulong to educate seafarers kasi nakakadagdag din siya sa awareness na alam nila ang gagawin nila sa certain cases and di na makakadagdag pa sa iisipin nila–kumbaga empowered sila dahil alam nila ang gagawin at may tutulong sa kanila
para gawin yun,” Lat said.
(“We can also help educate seafarers because it adds to their awareness—they’ll know what to do in certain cases, and it won’t add to their worries. In other words, they’ll feel empowered because they know what to do and that there’s someone who will help them do it.”)
Stricter laws, safer seas
Though humanitarian initiatives are helpful, it can’t be a replacement to laws and policies that could legally protect women seafarers.
The Magna Carta for Seafarers adopted in 2024 is the existing law that safeguards the overall wellbeing of seafarers before deployment, while on board, and upon return. The law aligns with international maritime standards, particularly the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) of 2006, to guarantee decent working conditions, social protection, access to legal remedies, and protection against abuse and exploitation.
But for “Mary”, tougher implementation of existing laws and heightened awareness is needed to ensure the welfare of the seafarers that it is meant to protect.
“Masaya po ako sa batas pero sana ma-implement po. Ano po ba ang sinasaklaw ng Magna Carta (on Seafarers)? Karapatan ng mga babae po? Based on my experience parang wala po akong naging karapatan eh,” she admitted.
(“I’m happy with the law, but I hope it gets implemented. What exactly does the Magna Carta (on Seafarers) cover? Does it include the rights of women? Based on my experience, it feels like I didn’t have any rights.”)
The reporter has tried to get in touch with government agencies associated with the welfare and protection for seafarers namely the Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Association and Maritime Industry Authority to get their side on the issue of harassment of Filipino women seafarers, but they have yet to respond as of press time.
Until then, Saguisabal calls out to stricter implementation of the law to manning agencies and companies—and assure, above all else, that women onboard are protected.
“Protektahan niyo yung babae, kung di niyo sila kayang protektahan, wag na kayong kumuha wag kayong magh-hire dahil at the end of the day, sila yung mags-suffer,” Saguisabal said.
(“Protect the women. If you can’t protect them, then don’t hire them, don’t take them in because at the end of the day, they will be the ones to suffer.”)
As for “Mary,” she still clings to the hope that the Magna Carta of Seafarers would be the key to the justice that she longs for, leading her to break free from the horrific shackles of the sea.
“Sana maisatupad yung mga batas yung ginagawa nila para ma-prevent po. Kumbaga sabi nga po nila, wala pong pangil ang batas dito sa Pilipinas so sana magkaroon na po ng pangil,” she said.
(“I hope the laws they are implementing will be fulfilled to prevent this. As they say in the Philippines, the law has no fangs, so I hope it will eventually have one.”)
Note: This story is funded by Solutions Journalism Philippines. It was edited by Marlon Alexander Luistro.