MIAMI, FL— October 4, 2011 – Upon analyzing FBI data and sexual assault reports on three major cruise lines, researchers concluded that individuals are more vulnerable to sex crimes aboard cruise ships than they are on land in Canada. Study leaders Dr. Jill Poulston, the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) head of hospitality, and Ross Klein, a professor at Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland, found that Royal Caribbean International cruise line, for instance, received no less than 450 reports of sexual abuse aboard its cruise vessels over an eight-year span, the New Zealand Herald reported.
The cruise ship sexual assault study, which focused for the most part on American and Canadian cases, found that the majority of sex attacks involved ship crew members and the majority of sex assault and rape victims were female.
Furthermore, researchers were able to determine that in more than one third of the alleged sexual assault cases, cruise ship crew members appeared to have forcefully entered passengers’ cabins.
According to AUT’s Dr. Poulston, “While cruise vacations are often sold as voyages of romance and adventure a significant number of passengers have very different and very unpleasant experiences.” Poulston also suggested that the high number of sex crimes could be partly attributed to cruise ship passengers who “let their guard down” on vacation.
Incident reports by Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Lines suggested, “The rate of sex-related incidents on cruise ships is almost 50 per cent higher than the rate of sexual assault on land in Canada.”
Celebrity Cruises-owner Royal Caribbean said on its website, “Royal Caribbean International is committed to preventing illegal activity and treats all allegations seriously.”
According to statistics posted on the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) website, the FBI regarded sexual assault as the leading crime reported on cruise ships, accounting for 55 percent of all maritime crimes reported to the bureau.
About the Miami Cruise Ship Accident Lawyers and Maritime Attorneys at Gerson & Schwartz, P.A.
Leading Florida crime victim lawyers Gerson & Schwartz state that ship firms have managed to avoid potential litigation through unethical business practices for years. Such practices can leave victims of molestation and/or sexual assault struggling to attain compensation for their pain and suffering. For more than 30 years, the Miami cruise ship injury attorneys of Gerson & Schwartz, P.A. have been dedicated to protecting the rights of travelers and cruise ship employees who have been sexually assaulted, sustained serious injury or been subject to preventable harm while aboard these “hospitable” vessels.