From discrimination to abuse, many woes of Nigerian female seafarers

Over the years, female participation in seafaring has been largely limited, with the number of ladies being allowed onboard vessels only increasing in recent times due to advocacy campaign of the Female Seafarers Association of Nigeria (FESAN). In this report, TOLA ADENUBI examines the odds against ladies onboard vessels.

THIS year, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) theme for the celebration of the World Maritime Day is “Seafarers at the core of shipping’s future”. While seafarers are a treasured human element of shipping, the attitude towards female participation in the profession has not been really positive in this part of the world.

A cursory look at the level of female participation in seafaring in Nigeria brings to the fore the relevance of the IMO theme for this year’s World Maritime Day celebration, judging by the level of discrimination against female seafaring in this part of the world.

Out of 6,039 seafarers registered in Nigeria, only 567 are females representing 9.3 per cent of the entire seafaring population in Nigeria; while only 304 of the 2,041 Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) beneficiaries are females representing just 14.5 per cent.

Gale of rejection

For many female seafarers who desire careers out at sea onboard vessels in Nigeria, their aspirations and dreams have mostly been cut short due to stringent recruitment policies of few of the shipping firms still operating in the country.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, an executive of FESAN who wouldn’t want her name in print as she is yet to get permission from her workplace to speak to the press, explained that most of the few indigenous shipping companies still operating in Nigeria, during recruitment exercises, specifically mention that only male seafarers should apply.

According to the FESAN executive, “Before now, recruitment into many of the shipping companies was only for males. The shipping companies will specifically mention that only male seafarers are wanted. Then, it was that terrible. The few females who desired a career at sea will simply be turned back if they attempt to apply.

“Now, things are slightly better. Due to the advocacies of FESAN and some other prominent stakeholders, some of these shipping companies are now beginning to accept female seafarers, even though the numbers are still not encouraging. That is why we at FESAN, at any given opportunity, ensure we air our voices concerning the acceptability of female seafarers without any restriction.”

Sexual abuse

For the few ladies that were able to find their way onboard vessels, some have had harrowing experiences in the middle of nowhere. In the words of the FESAN executive, “Some female seafarers who have been lucky to find themselves onboard ships in Nigeria have been subjected to sexual abuses by their male counterparts.

“We have heard of female seafarers getting abused and intimidated on board vessels by their senior male colleagues. These things happen, and it is only recently that the menace started reducing because of FESAN advocacies.

“Some of our members still tell us that once they are onboard vessels and their male counterparts are making advances at them, they quickly tell them that they will escalate the situation on FESAN platform because they are members of the association. These acts by some of our members have saved many from sexual abuses onboard vessels in the middle of nowhere at sea.

“Because these male seafarers now know that there is an advocacy group like FESAN that can escalate such abuses to the authorities and end their careers, such abuses onboard vessels are now reducing, although not totally wiped out.

“Mostly during the early days of the pandemic, when vessels got stuck out at sea for months without food supply, many female seafarers were subject of abuses by disgruntled male seafarers while onboard ships.”

Maternity issues

Another dilemma that confronts ladies who desire interest in a career at sea is the issue of granting maternity leave or not. For many ladies who got privileged to start a career at sea, such aspirations have been disrupted when plans of settling down and having children arose.

“There is a poor implementation of policies that support maternity leave for female seafarers, thereby cutting short their career when they decide to start having offspring. Is it a crime to request for maternity leave to have children?

“Some ladies have had their contract terminated just because they got pregnant and want to have children. The industry is that harsh on female participation in seafaring, and it is very important that the authorities look in this direction if there is any hope to shore up the numbers of female seafarers in Nigeria.

“The moment a female seafarer gets pregnant and decides to have the baby, she is faced with choosing between her career and her marriage. Many, out of fear of losing their jobs, have done drastic things just to keep their jobs. Making babies shouldn’t be seen as a death sentence to a fledgling seafaring career,” the FESAN executive told the Nigerian Tribune exclusively.

Why the rejection?

For indigenous ship owners, the configuration of most vessels in their fleet is the major reason why many female seafarers are turned back during recruitment exercises. Speaking on the issue during the recently concluded World Maritime Day celebration in Lagos, President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Dr. MkGeorge Onyung lamented that indigenous ship owners in Nigeria lack adequate capacity in terms of fleet renewal, and many of the vessels are old and not configured to accommodate female seafarers.

“Many of the ships in the fleet of some of our members are not configured to accommodate female seafarers onboard. The cabins are not separated, and there is no way both male and female seafarers can stay in the same cabin due to privacy issues.

“This is one of the reasons why indigenous ship owners have over the years been clamouring for government intervention in the area of ship acquisition. Many of our ships are old and not well configured like modern vessels. The disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) is one area many of us looked up to for fleet renewal efforts. With that hope hanging based on the fact that the Minister of Transportation said that Mr. President has withdrawn disbursement of the CVFF, the chances of more ladies getting opportunity onboard vessels in Nigeria might also just be hanging in the balance

“It is only when indigenous vessel owners in Nigeria have enough capacity through adequate government backing that more employment opportunities can be created in our maritime space. With what is on ground as of today, it’s a pity that most of the available vessels in our fleet are not configured to accommodate both male and female seafarers onboard at the same time,” the SOAN President lamented.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.