Cruising for Trouble - News article

[mpw2002]

Here's an interesting news article about safety at sea.

 

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071114/wfive_cruiseships_071117/20071117?hub=WFive

 

There is a brief script as well as links to the full show.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Here's an interesting news article about safety at sea.

 

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071114/wfive_cruiseships_071117/20071117?hub=WFive

 

There is a brief script as well as links to the full show.

 

A cruise ship is similar to a small town, you can never let your guard down. :eek:

 

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[alexkrn46]

I agree that you can't let your guard down, which is hard when you are on vacation, but I feel as safe or safer than a land vacation.

[wrp96]

A cruise ship is similar to a small town, you can never let your guard down. :eek:

 

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Yeah, but it's probably safer than where I live which was just named the 13th most dangerous town in America (I'm surprised we weren't higher on the list:rolleyes:).

[kidless]

A cruise ship is similar to a small town, you can never let your guard down. :eek:

 

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The article said your chance of being sexually assaulted was 50% higher then on land. I'd say that is worse then a small town. I agree you should never let your guard down. That is why it always amazes me when I see parents letting there young teens run all over the ship not supervised. I have even seen children as young as 8-9 running around by themselves.

[Sue L]

Yeah, but it's probably safer than where I live which was just named the 13th most dangerous town in America (I'm surprised we weren't higher on the list:rolleyes:).

 

 

HUH?? I would think a town like Little Rock would be one of the safest not the most dangerous. I wonder who got 1-12, not a list you want to be on.

[wrp96]

HUH?? I would think a town like Little Rock would be one of the safest not the most dangerous. I wonder who got 1-12, not a list you want to be on.

 

 

Sue we have an extremely high per capita murder rate and other violent crimes, especially armed robbery and carjackings. We had actually gotten better for several years after we were featured on HBO in 1993 in "Gang Banging in Little Rock" but our murder rate has sky rocketed in the last two years. Others on the list are Detroit, St. Louis, Flint Michigan, Oakland California, Camden New Jersey, Birmingham Alabama, North Charleston South Carolina, Memphis Tennessee, Richmond California, and Cleveland.

[Sue L]

Sue we have an extremely high per capita murder rate and other violent crimes, especially armed robbery and carjackings. We had actually gotten better for several years after we were featured on HBO in 1993 in "Gang Banging in Little Rock" but our murder rate has sky rocketed in the last two years. Others on the list are Detroit, St. Louis, Flint Michigan, Oakland California, Camden New Jersey, Birmingham Alabama, North Charleston South Carolina, Memphis Tennessee, Richmond California, and Cleveland.

 

Wow, I guess I just pictured Little Rock as a nice southern town. A big city version of Mayberry.LOL Sounds like I was WAYYYYY off base. Though it does sound like a good town for a lawyer.:rolleyes:

[PhoenixCruiser]

Yeah, but it's probably safer than where I live which was just named the 13th most dangerous town in America (I'm surprised we weren't higher on the list:rolleyes:).

 

No kidding Wrona, I was actually referring to my "home town" which has a population of 3,300 :D

 

Of course we cannot compare the crime rates with a large city :eek:

 

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[bigpuma]

The article said your chance of being sexually assaulted was 50% higher then on land.

 

I hate when news articles give statistics like this. What does that mean anyway. What is the chance of being sexually assaulted in any given week? 1 in a 1000, 1 in a million? Really I have no idea but I imagine it is pretty small. Let's say it is 1 in a 1,000 (I imagine is any given week it is probably much less than that) a 50% increase means it would be 1.5 in a 1000. I wouldn't lose sleep over that.

[Merion_Mom]

The article said your chance of being sexually assaulted was 50% higher then on land. I'd say that is worse then a small town. I agree you should never let your guard down. That is why it always amazes me when I see parents letting there young teens run all over the ship not supervised. I have even seen children as young as 8-9 running around by themselves.

 

I am not being a cruiseline cheerleader, but you have to be a more critical consumer of news.

 

That statement, "50% more likely to be sexually assaulted than on land", has little to no meaning out of context. And the article provides NO context.

 

Previous news reports and published material on this topic have provided more information.

 

This figure includes ALL types of sexual assaults, not just rape or other sexual felonies. It includes improper touching and "harassment", which is a very nebulous term.

 

More importantly, it also includes assaults of crew on crew. Those are the vast majority of the complaints. The numbers that involve sexual assault on passengers are MUCH smaller.

 

If someone has the citations or links to some of these older articles, I would appreciate your sharing them on this thread.

 

I think that this sort of sensational journalism does not serve anyone's interests, except the news station which is seeking a ratings boost.

[TahoeBob]

I hate when news articles give statistics like this. What does that mean anyway. What is the chance of being sexually assaulted in any given week? 1 in a 1000, 1 in a million? Really I have no idea but I imagine it is pretty small. Let's say it is 1 in a 1,000 (I imagine is any given week it is probably much less than that) a 50% increase means it would be 1.5 in a 1000. I wouldn't lose sleep over that.

 

You ask what it means, this is what it means

 

Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.

One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.

In 2004-2005, there were an average annual 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.

About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.

[bigpuma]

You ask what it means, this is what it means

 

Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.

One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.

In 2004-2005, there were an average annual 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.

About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.

 

Ok so assuming my math is correct during a week long cruise an individual would have about a 1 in 49,000 chance of being sexually assaulted. Again I would not lose sleep over that.

[Merion_Mom]

Ok so assuming my math is correct during a week long cruise an individual would have about a 1 in 49,000 chance of being sexually assaulted. Again I would not lose sleep over that.

 

No, bigpuma, Tahoe Bob is not correct in his recitation of statistics.

 

Read what I wrote.

[Lynnees]

So, here we go again with the cruise cheerleaders. In fact, if there is one chance of a rape happening on a cruise it is one too many. Good grief ladies, why are you trying to defend a corporation that is quite capable of defending itself.

 

The fact is that yes, a cruiseship is a small city and it behooves everyone to take precautions, particularly parents.

 

I watched W5 on Saturday night. It was extremely interesting to note that the filming that was done by a reporter by hidden camera. After watching a waiter hit on and follow a single woman I realized just how many times I've sat and watched just such a scene and thought nothing of it. When a second waiter blanantly said he wanted to have sex with her I have to ask myself where are the ships officials. Obviously they don't care or the staff wouldn't be so blatant about going after these women.

[referee]

I hate to say this,in fear of ruining our reputation, but, my town of Orlando Florida was named # 11 on that list.....Poor Mickey

[kidless]

I hate when news articles give statistics like this. What does that mean anyway. What is the chance of being sexually assaulted in any given week? 1 in a 1000, 1 in a million? Really I have no idea but I imagine it is pretty small. Let's say it is 1 in a 1,000 (I imagine is any given week it is probably much less than that) a 50% increase means it would be 1.5 in a 1000. I wouldn't lose sleep over that.

 

I never said I was losing any sleep over it. But it is something to think about especially for those traveling with young girls. Many who run all over the ship with out parent supervision.

[kidless]

This figure includes ALL types of sexual assaults, not just rape or other sexual felonies. It includes improper touching and "harassment", which is a very nebulous term.

 

.

 

Well I still would not want to see a 12 year old child improperly touched or harassed to me that would still be a sexual assault.

...... JMHO.

[kidless]

So, here we go again with the cruise cheerleaders. In fact, if there is one chance of a rape happening on a cruise it is one too many. Good grief ladies, why are you trying to defend a corporation that is quite capable of defending itself.

 

The fact is that yes, a cruiseship is a small city and it behooves everyone to take precautions, particularly parents.

 

I watched W5 on Saturday night. It was extremely interesting to note that the filming that was done by a reporter by hidden camera. After watching a waiter hit on and follow a single woman I realized just how many times I've sat and watched just such a scene and thought nothing of it. When a second waiter blanantly said he wanted to have sex with her I have to ask myself where are the ships officials. Obviously they don't care or the staff wouldn't be so blatant about going after these women.

 

And if it isn't a problem and doesn't happen very often why do cruise lines cover it up! And the cover up of such things happening on cruise lines has been reported many times on the news.........And what happens to a crew member caught doing such a thing........he is sent back to his country or maybe even just to another ship. Big deal!

[thesawch]

The problem with the what W5 had to say is there is no law on the high seas.Sure rapes happen everywhere anytime but how many of the rapes have been prosecuted?? The number is 0 because what the show was saying is that the rapests are let go at the next port without any criminal charges.Sexual assaults happen everywhere but how many are commited by the city employees????

When you are assaulted in NYC hotel for example you can call the NYC police and they will come and aresst the guy and the courts will prosecute him.On the high seas the rapest is fired from his job and sent home at the next port and there is nothing you can do about it..

This is what the TV show was saying.So if you never seen the show please do not stick up for the cruise lines.Know your facts on the show before you comment here about it.

[petesweet]

I for one appreciate the alert. We will be going on NCL this spring with our darling 12-year-old niece. I feel sure her mother keeps a close eye on her while on board, but I'll pass the article on to her just in case. I agree about these children being allowed on their own on a cruise ship. I was appalled reading on a thread a few weeks ago where a mother wanted to be sure her 12-year-old (or something like that) could roam at night.

[katie0355]

The fact that people are down playing the possibility of even one rape/sexual assault is a very scary thought. Honestly, if that were me, I would be ashamed of myself for thinking that way.:(

 

Not losing any sleep over it? Wait until its your sister/wife/daughter...then maybe you will lose sleep over it. I'm not saying I have, but I would NEVER say something like that.:eek:

[Lynnees]

And if it isn't a problem and doesn't happen very often why do cruise lines cover it up! And the cover up of such things happening on cruise lines has been reported many times on the news.........And what happens to a crew member caught doing such a thing........he is sent back to his country or maybe even just to another ship. Big deal!

 

 

I agree......covering up saves them time and money. Sebd the assaulter home so he can show up on another ship for another company............that's all they do..........they are not accountable to anyone..........and you know it's accepted because here there are .........defending them.

 

Does it really matter how often it happens? Not at all...........once is too much.

[dontpanik]

There was another thread on here awhile ago that was referring to the show on the travel channel about safety at sea. While I do feel that the international maritime laws need a governing body to protect those under a ships "care" while in international waters (or any other waters for that matter), I also feel that you can't give over the care of your safety to the cruise lines just because you are on vacation. Waiting around for a cruiseline official to wave off a staffer who is overly aggressive is wishful thinking. Get his name and report him immediately. Before there is anything more severe to report. If anyone is making you feel uncomfortable, change the situation.

• Never accompany a crew/ staff member into a ship's personnel restricted area
  
• Don't give out any more information about yourself than you would to any stranger on the internet
  
• watch when your drinks are made and don't let those drinks out of your sight. If you feel that you've had way too much, way too soon. STOP DRINKING IT.
  
• remind everyone you are travelling with that the same rules apply for a cruise vacation as a land based one...don't drop your guard just because there is nowhere the bad guys can "run' to.
  
• don't always assume the only people who can hurt you are staffers..its not like a bunch of background checks are conducted on the passengers

The odds of it happening are still pretty slim, don't go into the cruise worrying that everyone is out to get you. Just use the same common sense that has gotten you this far, on board.:p

[Lynnees]

There was another thread on here awhile ago that was referring to the show on the travel channel about safety at sea. While I do feel that the international maritime laws need a governing body to protect those under a ships "care" while in international waters (or any other waters for that matter), I also feel that you can't give over the care of your safety to the cruise lines just because you are on vacation. Waiting around for a cruiseline official to wave off a staffer who is overly aggressive is wishful thinking. Get his name and report him immediately. Before there is anything more severe to report. If anyone is making you feel uncomfortable, change the situation.

• Never accompany a crew/ staff member into a ship's personnel restricted area
  
• Don't give out any more information about yourself than you would to any stranger on the internet
  
• watch when your drinks are made and don't let those drinks out of your sight. If you feel that you've had way too much, way too soon. STOP DRINKING IT.
  
• remind everyone you are travelling with that the same rules apply for a cruise vacation as a land based one...don't drop your guard just because there is nowhere the bad guys can "run' to.
  
• don't always assume the only people who can hurt you are staffers..its not like a bunch of background checks are conducted on the passengers

The odds of it happening are still pretty slim, don't go into the cruise worrying that everyone is out to get you. Just use the same common sense that has gotten you this far, on board.:p

 

Very well put. Just one other thing for people to think about. Your room key - there is too much information on it and unscrupulous staff can get far too much information about you. I believe there should be two...just as their is for those who use the concierge lounge.