Sexual assaults 50% more likely on cruise ship than on land

An expert on ship safety has suggested that people are more likely to be sexually assaulted on a cruise ship than on land.

Sydney, Sep 11 : An expert on ship safety has suggested that people are more likely to be sexually assaulted on a cruise ship than on land.

According to Professor Ross Klein, a sociologist from Canada's University of Newfoundland, people who assume that cruises are completely safe are gravely mistaken.

Shedding light on the so-called safe environment of a cruise, Prof Klein said that it was mostly crew members who were to blame for assaults.

Looking at figures provided to a US court by a cruise line, he found that 111 people per 100,000 were sexually assaulted on ships, indicating that people were 50 per cent more likely to be sexually assaulted on a ship than on land.

"If you were to go to the Cruise Lines International Association they will say that a cruise is the most safe form of transportation. That is now getting a bit of scrutiny," News.com.au quoted him, as saying.

"In the early '80s there was a case where two crew members tried raping a passenger and she died by accident, supposedly. They were caught throwing her body overboard as they were leaving the harbour," he added.

Cautioning people in general and parents in particular, Prof Klein said they should keep a close eye on children they take onto cruises.

"You have to go on assuming a cruise is no safer than any other form of transportation, and you take the exact same precautions, if not more precautions as you would take going into any city," he said.

"Parents whose children were sexually molested will often say `the cruise line told me it was safe. I thought it was OK for my children to run around free without supervision'" he added.

He said about 80 per cent of sexual assaults on cruises were carried out by staff.

ANI