Will New Law Protect Against Sexual Assault on Cruise Ships?

I think people are more at risk on a cruise ship than on land.Once on a cruise, people tend to relax and feel that everybody is in a nice little safe community where everybody shares a common interest and that makes them all good people. Children find their feet and wonder round alone, to kids club and back, to the cabin to grab something they have forgotten etc. In fact nobody knows each other from Adam - your next door cabin neighbour could be on the sex offenders register, but oh well, he is on a cruise so he must be ok. People get too complacent and that is when they put themselves or their children in danger. A recent poll at http://www.facebook.com/cruises.co.uk showed that people are in fact oblivious to incidents that happen on cruise ships as the cruise lines are very good at covering things up. Most people have no idea about the levels on criminal activity on board cruises and it is something that needs addressing. Nobody should be any more complacent on a cruise than they would be on land - in fact they should be more wary

I asked the same question to the FBI.. I can't remember the exact reason, but it went something in effect to they are not equipped to get in the room to search if something goes wrong the ship starts to sink. (immediate access) I wish they would put me in front of congress. I think I could find someone that could invent something that would please both sides. But I just don't think I could sleep on a cruise ship now after what happened to me so long ago.

Larissa~

I thought AOL was going to start monitoring comments.

And good to know about cruises. I live near a port and have been thinking of taking one (the weekend cruises are very inexpensive) but I'll have to be careful.

Why not put deadbolts on the doors instead of a peephole though? Peepholes don't sound like they'd do much of anything at all.

Wow, Rick Riley, I hope I never run into you on a cruise! You're the most sexist thing I've heard in ages, and I'm sure no one would be safe around you

There you go again. The woman surely asked for it, by the way she was dressed. Shame on you, dirtbag.

Could some one plese tell me just what part of the Constitution that gives Congress the authority to pass any law governing privately owned ships on the high seas?

i bet these things dont happen on rosies boat

I have been cruising for several years & this is the first I have heard of rape on the ships. I'm sure I will be more careful from now on.

I worked on a five star line,(HAL) and seen a female crew member assualted by an officer and when it was reported the Captain intimadated the poor young girl so much she refused to do anything about it, WHAT A CASE OF COVER YOUR BUDDIES ASS THAT WAS.
I tried to tell her to keep pushing the matter ,but they scared her so much ,that she wouldn't do anything ,thinking she would be sent back to So.Africa immediately.
The cruise lines get away with murder, just asdk RCCL.
Americans have no idea how unsafe they are at times.

As a former victim of crime, all I can say is 'stand in front of a peephole, get blown away'. They only set people up for problems.