It may come to the surprise to many that cruise ship sex crimes like rapes and sexual assaults happen quite often. Passengers and employees are being victimized during the time when they should be enjoying themselves during their trip. Intentional, wrongful, and criminal acts that a cruise ship employee takes strictly falls upon the cruise line companies shoulders under maritime law. Until recently, cruise ships did not have to report sexual crimes that occurred on their cruise ship, which caused many cases to go unreported. Due to the Cruise Vessel Security Safety Act of 2010, cruise ships must report all crimes that take place aboard a cruise ship, whether it is rape, robbery, assault, and even sexual assault.
Cruise line companies must hold all records of sex crimes, report it to the FBI and DHS, maintain a rape kit on board, provide investigators with video surveillance, among other things. Yet, even with all of these safety measures, sex crimes still remain a major concern amongst cruise ships passengers and employees. Being a victim of a sex crime is something that is never forgotten and even influences the individual’s daily life and relationships. Miami great Cruise ship personal injury lawyers from Percy Martinez Law Firm believe that every passenger, including you, should be free of crime while on board a cruise ship. Cruise line companies have to provide their passengers with a safe environment because they owe you the highest level of care.
Any sex crime that a passenger endures by either another passenger or employee, will be the fault of the cruise line company. The cruise line company will have to pay the damages endured by the victim because of the rape or sexual assault including, but not limited to medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of wages, psychological treatment, therapy, and more.
Reasons for Sexual Assault and Rape on Cruise Ships
The reason for sex crimes among cruise ships takes various forms. Lack of security being the major component within sex crimes. You can become a victim of a sexual assault or rape on a cruise ship for the following reasons:
- Not giving their employees an extensive background check
- Not having adequate security on board
- Not watching the security cameras on a constant basis
- Not advising their passengers of precautions to take of known dangers
- Not regularly evaluating their employees to ensure that they have not gotten any arrests
- Lacking knowledge about areas where there have been crimes on excursions
Any of the above factors can play a huge role in cases of rape and sexual assault. Many employees in cruise ships are from foreign countries where the requirements for background checks are not as extensive as they would be in the United States. The cruise line company needs to ensure that they perform their own background checks and have adequate security on board that is trained to handle any situation that may arise.
Protect Yourself!
Going through the traumatic event of a sexual assault or rape and be detrimental for your life, or that of a loved one. It is an experience that no one wanted to go through, let alone remember. Yet, it is a situation that will forever stay with you. Become proactive and learn of ways to protect yourself from becoming victimized on the cruise ship. These are some actions that you could take as a passenger on a cruise ship to ensure your safety:
- Travel in a group: The best way to avoid becoming a victim of any type of crime on a cruise ship is if you go on the cruise accompanies by other individuals that you can trust. Criminals prey on lonely campers.
- Always remain vigilant: One skill that every person should have is to be vigilant of your surroundings. Get accustomed with knowing what is “normal” and what isn’t normal. If you see something weird, or have a strange feeling, then mostly likely, something is going on.
- Research! It is crucial that you become aware of any crimes that may have previously occurred on the specific cruise line you are traveling with. The more information you have, the better you can protect yourself. Also, if your cruise is going on excursions, make sure that you research information about that specific place. A lot of offenders prey on tourists who are unfamiliar with the location.
- Do not over consume alcohol: We know that cruise ships have many types of different alcohol beverages available, and after all, you are on vacation. Yet, we highly suggest that you manage your alcohol levels moderately to avoid getting too drunk where you do not know what is going on in your surroundings. Some people take advantage of the fact that you may be under the influence.
Knowing of different ways to shield yourself from dangers is essential when you go on a cruise. You do not want to get raped or sexually assaulted during what should have been a good time during your cruise. Become aware of your surroundings and knowledgeable about other crimes that have occurred.
Becoming a Victim of a Sex Crime on Board a Cruise Ship
Cruise line companies have a duty of care to all passengers that board their vessels. They must ensure that you safe during the time that you are on the cruise. If the cruise line failed to properly conduct a background check on their employee or lacked security personnel, they can be found liable if a passenger suffers a sex crime during the cruise. Our expert team of cruise line personal injury attorneys in Miami from Percy Martinez Law Firm will hold the negligent cruise line company liable for any sex crime or crimes that you or a loved one becomes a victim of while on a cruise ship. A passenger should be having an enjoyable time during their stay on the cruise ship.