Personal Injury Law

A Hidden Danger on Cruise Ships - Sexual Predators

By LaBovick Law

Going on a cruise is advertised as the perfect way to relax and unwind. What could be better than being able to sit back and put away a few cocktails while your kids are off playing at the activity center? It sounds like there could be nothing more enjoyable or safe. However, statistics show that this is simply not true. In fact, one study found that the risk of being sexually assaulted on a cruise ship is higher than in most American cities -- and this goes for children too.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a cruise and forget that there are real people on board with you. While most parents shudder to even think about letting their child walk a few blocks to the park by themselves, they let them run free over literally acres of space on cruise ships without a second thought. This gives predators a perfect opportunity to confront and abuse children without any supervision, and with very little risk of being caught. Perhaps this sounds alarmist, but if you consider that there were almost 300 incidents of sexual misconduct in a three year period on one cruise line alone, it takes on a little more reality.

And it's not just the other passengers that put you and your children at risk. Cruise ship crew members are rarely screened for past sexual misconduct, and many that have even multiple prior arrests are employed anyway. Consider the case aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship involving forner NCL Youth Activities Coordinator, Daniel J. Hanoian and a 12 year old girl. The 30-year-old Hanoian, had a long history of prior arrests, but was hired and put into a sensitive position with children, in which he proceeded to molest a 12-year-old girl. This is just one of many examples of cruise ship crew member misconduct that occurs, and is often covered up.

Unfortunately, victims are often left with few options after an attack. Cruise ship lines have a history of attempting to cover up attacks, and the possibility of compensation is slim. In one case, even after a 14-year-old boy was molested by a crew member, the most the cruise line would do was give the family 50 percent off their tickets. Though some attempts are being made on an individual basis to prevent assaults on cruises -- for instance, a judge in Illinois, rejected a known sexual predator's request  to take his wife on a cruise -- the situation remains bleak for victims, since cruise lines are not required to run background checks on cruise passengers. It is also not illegal for sexual predators, convicted or accused, to take cuises.

So the next time you start longing for a week in a deck chair with a fruity cocktail in your hand while the kids are off at play, unattended by a parent or trusted attendant,  you might want to think again. 
 

Full post as published by LaBovick Injury Law Blog on December 21, 2010 (boomark / email).