Sainiani Boila 
Sexual harassment is rife in Fiji’s maritime industry, creating a hidden crisis for the growing number of women who are joining the seafaring workforce.
This is according to Stephie Dunn of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre.
Speaking at the World Seafarers Day at the School of Maritime this morning, Dunn described a pattern of unwelcome sexual advances, crude jokes, and even physical assault faced by women working on ships.
Like every other industry, Dunn says sexual harassment is also rife, especially in the maritime industry, where seafarers are predominantly male
“What’s unique here is that you don’t have the option just to get off the boat and report to the police. You have to wait until the ship is docked, and even then, legal remedies are complicated by international waters”.
The maritime sector, long dominated by men, is seeing more women enter its ranks at all levels—from trainees to leadership. But this progress has exposed deep-seated issues.
The Fiji Womens Crisis Centre called for urgent reforms to make ships safer for women, including clear policies, accountability for offenders, and better support for survivors.
As more women consider maritime careers, it warned that the industry must change its culture or risk losing valuable talents.
The Maritime industry today celebrated The Day of the Seafarers with the theme
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
