A study from the University of Southern Denmark reveals a massive challenge with harassment and bullying on Danish-flagged ships. Especially younger women are victims of abuse. "Completely unacceptable," Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov says.
On behalf of the Danish Maritime Authority, the University of Southern Denmark has investigated the extent of harassment and bullying on Danish ships, and the outcome is anything but uplifting. Thus, the report points to major challenges regarding harassment and bullying in the industry.
For example, about 17 percent of respondents report that they have experienced bullying in their workplace, while about 11 percent have experienced harassment. According to the study, this happens mainly on board long-haul cargo ships, and the victims are largely young seafarers and seafarers with little experience at sea.
The study, 'Bullying and harassment in the Danish merchant navy', is based on responses from 3,470 seafarers, and reveals "a significant number of cases of bullying, harassment, unwanted sexual attention, threats of violence and actual physical violence."
"The most frequently exposed are the youngest age group under 31, women, newcomers, junior officers and seafarers from the cargo segment. The least at risk are seafarers from the offshore segment, passenger ships and ferries, as well as seafarers in small crews across segments," the report summarizes.
Men are numerically the most common victims of violence, bullying and harassment, but as there are also far more men than women in the profession, a higher percentage of female employees report violence, bullying and harassment.
Simultaneously, the study shows that the challenges are not only about gender, but also relate to, among other things, race and cultural background.
»This is completely unacceptable, and I am frankly surprised by the scale. The report even suggests that, despite the study, there may still be hidden figures. This is a problem that the industry needs to address immediately. We simply need to act; no seafarers should fear harassment and bullying – neither on the basis of one's gender nor ethnicity,« says Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Morten Bødskov (S).
To this end, he has tasked the Danish Maritime Authority to enter into dialogue with the parties involved in the industry in order to establish the necessary measures to ensure a safe working environment in both the short and long term. In addition, he emphasizes that the government is very open to investigating the initiatives together.
Danish Shipping: Everyone should be able to work safely on board
Danish Shipping takes the investigation very seriously and looks forward to discussing how the industry can address the problems. The crucial element is that everyone, regardless of gender, nationality or sexuality, should be able to work safely on board a Danish-flagged ship without fear of being bullied or harassed, the organization states.
»There should be no doubt that we, at Danish Shipping, strongly condemn any form of harassment and bullying on board our ships. We will simply not tolerate this kind of behavior under any circumstances, and therefore, I am sorry to read the conclusions of the report,« Anne W. Trolle, Director of Labor, Recruitment, and Education at Danish Shipping says.
Thus, the organization is satisfied that the Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs has taken the initiative to convene the industry stakeholders, just as it has agreed with the parties to the collective agreement to set up a joint working group.
At the renewal of the collective agreements in the spring, Danish Shipping thus wrote into all agreements that it is the joint responsibility of the parties to ensure "that their ship is free from harassment and abuse," and that one can be fired for engaging in harassment or contributing to stopping it.
»We will continue to insist that everyone should be able to work safely without the risk of being subjected to bullying or harassment. Therefore, we need to create a ‘speak-up’ culture where we bring these things to light,« says Anne W. Trolle.
As part of its efforts to improve the working environment on board ships, Danish Shipping has recently asked shipping companies with ships flying the Danish flag what they are doing to prevent harassment and bullying.
30 shipping companies, together employing 73 percent of the seafarers on Danish-flagged ships, have responded to the survey.
- Today, 97 percent of shipping companies have a greater focus on bullying and sexual harassment in their company than five years ago.
- 84 percent of shipping companies have taken concrete measures to ensure harassment-free environments.
- 86 percent of shipping companies have a written policy regarding sexual harassment.
- 80 percent have conducted surveys on whether bullying and harassment have taken place in the workplace.
- 80 percent have ensured clear procedures for reporting harassment and bullying, just as 80 percent have ensured that you can report anonymously.
Source: Danish Shipping
