No fewer than 18 percent of women seafarers globally decried sexual harassment, stress, anxiety and headaches on board ships.
This is contained in “Women Seafarers’ Health and Welfare Survey” conducted from 2014 to 2015, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
The president, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria, Mrs Mary Hamman, made the survey available.
NAN reports that the survey is a joint collaboration study of the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA), and the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN).
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The International Workers’ Federation (ITF) and Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) also participated in the survey.
According to the survey, 595 responses were received from women seafarers from a range of nationalities, ages and positions on board ships.
“ The survey said that joint/back pain, stress/depression, anxiety and headache, seem to be the most common symptoms reported by women seafarers and that 55 per cent felt that they are related their work.
“Forty eight per cent stated that they have problems with seeking medical care and offer suggestions to improve this.
“Significantly, 37 per cent of women seafarers also stated that they did not have access to sanitary bins within the toilet, while 18 per cent say that sexual harassment is an issue,’’ NAN quotes the survey as saying.
The survey explained, “ Routine wellness checks, nutrition and information on joint and back pains are the main areas that women seafarers said health screening/services/information would be most useful to improve their health and well-being.’’
According to the survey, they (women seafarers) suggested that this could best be received directly from health professionals or alternatively, by reading leaflets from online websites.
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