To this point, three crew members employed by Royal Caribbean, three staff members aboard the Disney Dream, two crew personnel working for Carnival, one crew worker at Holland America Line, and one crew member with Celebrity were apprehended for offenses related to child exploitation.
Which Cruise Lines Employed the Recent Crew Members?
An inquiry arises regarding the employers of the last two crew members and the specific cruise ships they were assigned to.
Enforcement Against Child Exploitation by U.S. and Florida Legal Authorities
There seems to be a concerted effort by both state and federal law enforcement bodies to probe and take legal action against individuals in possession of and involved in the transportation of illicit materials involving minors on cruise vessels. It’s probable that upon confiscating a crew member’s iPhone or computer, law enforcement officials secure incriminating evidence from various platforms, including social media sites and online digital communications that circulate child exploitation materials, implicating a significant number of ship employees.
Are Cruise Lines Addressing the Unlawful Activities?
The core issue remains whether cruise operators are implementing measures to outlaw child exploitation aboard their vessels.
According to the Filipino publication Inquirer: “The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, is collaborating with agencies that deploy Filipino seafarers to cruise ships to combat incidents of child exploitation among cruise staff members. (“In the past six months, at least seven Filipino employees on cruise ships have been apprehended and detained in Florida for possessing and transporting materials involving minors,” as reported by the MWO).
“The possession or promotion of child exploitation materials is criminalized under U.S. federal and state laws. Individuals caught possessing, viewing, transporting, or distributing such materials will face prosecution and penalties.”
The MWO has urged the manning agencies to instruct seafarers to refrain from activities involving child exploitation. However, there is no indication that cruise lines are educating their employees about the illegality of child exploitation aboard their ships and the repercussions for engaging in such activities.
Moreover, it’s worth questioning the legality of child exploitation in some of the countries where cruise lines recruit their personnel, such as the Philippines. While child exploitation materials were criminalized for the first time in the Philippines in 2009 following advocacy efforts by organizations like UNICEF, more work is required. According to UNICEF, the legal age of consent in the Philippines remains at 12 years old.
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Image Credits: VAZHAYIL, SREERAG – Miami-Dade-County-Sexual-Predators; MARDIKA, IGEDEBOY – Miami-Dade-County-Sexual-Predators; Carnival Conquest – NormanEinstein; Celebrity Reflection – Master0Garfield commons/wikimedia; Dennis De Leon; Local 10 News (WPLG); Disney Dream – Ajmexico from Melbourne, USA – CC BY 2.0 commons / wikimedia