Pinoy women seafarers face myriad risks - ISAC
MANILA, Philippines – The government is still neglecting the plight of female Filipino seafarers in such a "male-dominated" occupation, according to a seafarers’ group.
These women face different problems in their work, said Jeremy Cajiuat, project development officer of the International Seafarers’ Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation Inc.
"Surprisingly, the disabilities that our women clients have suffered, varied from those of men," Cajiuat said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Web site (www.cbcpnews.com).
Most of the men seafarers suffer from orthopedic injuries – broken arms, broken spines, broken ribs. But most of the women that ISAC had helped suffered from different kinds of cancers like cervical cancer, thyroid and some viral infections such as tuberculosis. However, we’ve noticed, most of them suffer from cervical cancer,"
But he particularly voiced expressed concerns on the growing but unreported cases of sexual abuse among Filipina seafarers.
Women seafarers are mostly are in cruise ships, passenger vessels, and hotels and are working as stewardesses, cleaners, waitresses, casino employees, and chambermaids, he said.
"Most of them were victims of illegal recruitment. While others are recruited legally, some of them were swindled," he said.
On the other hand, prostitution happens in private yachts or small luxury or cruise ships hired by rich men. He cited a case in Abu Dhabi, where the elite hire private yachts.
"Magugulat ka na lang, may mga Pinay na humihingi ng tulong na gustong umuwi, hanggang sa pinakamalayong lugar sa South America [You will be surprised that some Filipino women ask help to get home from as far as South America]. But because of the social stigma, they won’t report what actually happened to them there," he said.
Cajiuat said some medical studies show that a direct correlation between contracting cancer and the nature of work of the patient.
"Women are forced to take some contraceptive pills which are carcinogenic in nature. Because, whenever they got impregnated, they will lose the opportunity to work on a ship," he noted.
Long working hours, exposure to different health hazards such as chemical inhalation, passive or second-hand smoking, and stress pose grave threats to women’s health.
The lack of facilities for women such as adequate comfort rooms also causes some health problems, he said.
"It’s a fact that women urinate more often than men," he said. "It is also a fact that majority of the ships sailing across the seven oceans of the world lack comfort rooms for women. The women seafarers’ case is similar to what an ordinary sales clerk in a department store or a dressmaker in a clothing factory. Although the existing International Labor Organization and other United Nations’ allied agencies conventions are stating that crew-ships must have a women-friendly working environment, maraming barko pa rin ang hindi makasabay [many ships still do not comply]."
Cajiuat also said the tourism industry boom once had the number of the females wanting to work on cruise ship to increase.
He said figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed the number of seafarers hired by a ship as waiters or waitresses increased by 7.4 percent, from 5,948 in 2006 to 6,388.
Unhelpful arbiters
More saddening, he lamented, was that that some of the sexually-related cases that they had filed and fought with the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) here lost due to sexist tendencies of either the arbiters or the agency management.
According to him, it is taxing for the victim to attend hearings because some of the arbiters are the ones attacking the personality of the survivor by saying they are promiscuous.
Even seafarers who fell mentally ill due to overwork, homesickness, and depression are dismissed, he noted.
In health-related cases such as cancer, he said some of the victims die before justice comes.
Cajiuat said a strong political will would be needed to change the status of women seafarers, who continue to be marginalized in this macho society of ours.
He said Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, could help ease the burden that the Filipina and foreign seafarers at sea.
“They can be a strong pressure group to the government to be able to hasten up legislations ensuring seafarers’ safety and the protection of their rights and welfare at sea," he said. "The Catholic Church has a strong network all over the world, through its Episcopal Commissions, missions, institutions and organizations, they can serve as watchdog to ensure that the international safety and quality standards on seafaring are observed. Plus, they can also provide comfort and hope to those seafarers that are becoming hopeless due to their oppressive conditions by providing them counseling, perhaps."
He also said that ISAC would be tapping the church in advancing the fight on the ratification in the Philippines in the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The MLC 2006 is an international legal instrument promulgated for the protection of the labor rights and welfare of seafarers. - GMANews.TV
These women face different problems in their work, said Jeremy Cajiuat, project development officer of the International Seafarers’ Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation Inc.
"Surprisingly, the disabilities that our women clients have suffered, varied from those of men," Cajiuat said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Web site (www.cbcpnews.com).
Most of the men seafarers suffer from orthopedic injuries – broken arms, broken spines, broken ribs. But most of the women that ISAC had helped suffered from different kinds of cancers like cervical cancer, thyroid and some viral infections such as tuberculosis. However, we’ve noticed, most of them suffer from cervical cancer,"
But he particularly voiced expressed concerns on the growing but unreported cases of sexual abuse among Filipina seafarers.
Women seafarers are mostly are in cruise ships, passenger vessels, and hotels and are working as stewardesses, cleaners, waitresses, casino employees, and chambermaids, he said.
"Most of them were victims of illegal recruitment. While others are recruited legally, some of them were swindled," he said.
On the other hand, prostitution happens in private yachts or small luxury or cruise ships hired by rich men. He cited a case in Abu Dhabi, where the elite hire private yachts.
"Magugulat ka na lang, may mga Pinay na humihingi ng tulong na gustong umuwi, hanggang sa pinakamalayong lugar sa South America [You will be surprised that some Filipino women ask help to get home from as far as South America]. But because of the social stigma, they won’t report what actually happened to them there," he said.
Cajiuat said some medical studies show that a direct correlation between contracting cancer and the nature of work of the patient.
"Women are forced to take some contraceptive pills which are carcinogenic in nature. Because, whenever they got impregnated, they will lose the opportunity to work on a ship," he noted.
Long working hours, exposure to different health hazards such as chemical inhalation, passive or second-hand smoking, and stress pose grave threats to women’s health.
The lack of facilities for women such as adequate comfort rooms also causes some health problems, he said.
"It’s a fact that women urinate more often than men," he said. "It is also a fact that majority of the ships sailing across the seven oceans of the world lack comfort rooms for women. The women seafarers’ case is similar to what an ordinary sales clerk in a department store or a dressmaker in a clothing factory. Although the existing International Labor Organization and other United Nations’ allied agencies conventions are stating that crew-ships must have a women-friendly working environment, maraming barko pa rin ang hindi makasabay [many ships still do not comply]."
Cajiuat also said the tourism industry boom once had the number of the females wanting to work on cruise ship to increase.
He said figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed the number of seafarers hired by a ship as waiters or waitresses increased by 7.4 percent, from 5,948 in 2006 to 6,388.
Unhelpful arbiters
More saddening, he lamented, was that that some of the sexually-related cases that they had filed and fought with the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) here lost due to sexist tendencies of either the arbiters or the agency management.
According to him, it is taxing for the victim to attend hearings because some of the arbiters are the ones attacking the personality of the survivor by saying they are promiscuous.
Even seafarers who fell mentally ill due to overwork, homesickness, and depression are dismissed, he noted.
In health-related cases such as cancer, he said some of the victims die before justice comes.
Cajiuat said a strong political will would be needed to change the status of women seafarers, who continue to be marginalized in this macho society of ours.
He said Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, could help ease the burden that the Filipina and foreign seafarers at sea.
“They can be a strong pressure group to the government to be able to hasten up legislations ensuring seafarers’ safety and the protection of their rights and welfare at sea," he said. "The Catholic Church has a strong network all over the world, through its Episcopal Commissions, missions, institutions and organizations, they can serve as watchdog to ensure that the international safety and quality standards on seafaring are observed. Plus, they can also provide comfort and hope to those seafarers that are becoming hopeless due to their oppressive conditions by providing them counseling, perhaps."
He also said that ISAC would be tapping the church in advancing the fight on the ratification in the Philippines in the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The MLC 2006 is an international legal instrument promulgated for the protection of the labor rights and welfare of seafarers. - GMANews.TV
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