Ship Anti Bullying and Harassment

Core Message

The video argues that ships can only be safe and efficient when everyone is treated as a valued member of a team. It emphasizes that bullying and harassment—often driven by prejudice (religion, nationality, skin color, sexual orientation, appearance, age, or inexperience) or by an aggressor’s attitudes—cause serious personal suffering and also undermine ship operations.

It highlights that bullying and harassment affect more than direct victims:

• Witnesses can experience emotional stress that weakens morale and teamwork.
• The resulting harm can jeopardize the safe running of ships.
• There can be broader consequences, including legal claims, bad publicity, and reduced recruitment.

Bullying vs. Harassment (Key Distinction)

The video distinguishes between normal performance management and bullying/harassment:

Bullying

Bullying is described as conduct such as:

• Threats and abuse
• Spreading malicious rumors (in person or digitally)
• Ridicule
• Unreasonable demands
• Derogatory remarks
• Excessive monitoring
• Persistent or unjustified criticism

Harassment

Harassment is described as behavior that:

• Violates dignity
• Creates an intimidating, hostile, humiliating, or offensive environment
• Often includes mockery, lewd or racist jokes, or disrespect tied to race/ethnicity

The video repeatedly emphasizes that harassment can be sexually motivated, making situations “intolerable.”

Dramatized Examples Included in the Subtitles

The subtitles present examples of bullying and harassment occurring in practice, including:

• Managers undermining staff through humiliation and harsh, degrading “teaching” or criticism—sometimes pushing targets to leave.
• Crew-on-crew prejudice and exclusion, including remarks about culture or skin color and unwanted physical touching.
• Sexually motivated harassment involving:
  • Constant suggestive comments
  • Repeated unwanted remarks at work and in social settings
  • Coercive or demeaning “banter,” justified by the harasser as “just fun”
• Cyberbullying, compared to a virus spreading via social media, text, or email—potentially driving victims into deep depression and even suicide.
• Hidden harm and reluctance to intervene, noting that observers may hesitate and harassment can remain out of public view—making reporting harder for victims.

Response Framework / Action Plan

The video proposes a practical approach to stopping bullying and harassment:

• Encourage victims and witnesses to report
  • Ensure companies take reports seriously (without ridiculing or minimizing).
• Address and remove persistent offenders
  • Including potential legal consequences, since harassment is illegal in many places.
• Use awareness and training
  • Clarify that aggressive management can be bullying
  • Make it clear that race/religion remarks are unacceptable
  • Reinforce that unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate behavior violate standards
• Guidelines support protected groups, including those targeted because of age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, nationality, or gender reassignment.

Closing Takeaway

The overall message is that bullying and harassment have “no place on board.” The action plan is to:

• Know the procedures
• Know who to report to
• Speak up
• Say no to both bullying and harassment

Presenters or Contributors

Not explicitly stated in the subtitles.