Maritime
Shipping Industry to Promote Jobs
to Women and Young People
The female seafarers on
board of R/V Falkor: a
testament of curiosity,
determination and passion
Credit: https://schmidtocean.org/
A
ll sides of the shipping industry came
together at a conference in Geneva,
Switzerland to discuss the promotion
of seafaring jobs to women and young
people. The meeting, at the headquarters
of the International Labour Organization
(ILO), was attended by representatives
from shipowners, maritime trade unions and govern-
ments, with all three spokespeople being women –
representing the Chamber of Shipping of America, the
ITF seafarers’ section and the US Coast Guard.
The meeting discussed the barriers to women and
young people entering seafaring as a career, including
discriminatory practices, and current issues facing seafarers.
One of the barriers for women in seafaring has been the
practice of mandatory pregnancy testing, which is now
considered discriminatory by many governments. Young
recruits can also be deterred because of difficulties in
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social communication, shore leave, training and sea
time.
The meeting concluded that stakeholders should take
an active role in facilitating measures to break down the
barriers. These included ensuring:
• shore leave and the establishment of seafarers’
welfare committees
• that cadets, trainees, young seafarers and women
have the necessary time at sea to be licensed
• the repatriation of abandoned seafarers and prompt
assistance to seafarers in cases of criminalisation,
piracy and armed robbery
• policies on zero tolerance on bullying and harassment.
It also recommended that the ILO convene a tripartite
meeting with the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) to consider a range of specific issues affecting
seafarer employment and conditions of work.
https://
www.itfseafarers.org/