Maritime piracy victimization of seafarers and their families

Abstract

As the piracy phenomenon in East Africa evolved from isolated incidents to an enduring piracy crisis, it took a toll on ship crew, their families and major seafarer-sending communities like the Philippines. During the last decades, the scope of contemporary maritime piracy in East Africa has increased and the violence of the pirates against seafarers has escalated (Oceans Beyond Piracy 2013). However, Victimologists have paid very little attention to the maritime victimization of seafarers by pirates. The findings in this chapter come from an empirical research study entitled Analysis of Maritime Piracy in East Africa between 2000 and 2010 and its impact on Seafarers’ Occupational Risk Perception. Fieldwork involved face-to-face interviews conducted over six-months in 2011 at a seafarer recreation center in a United Kingdom port. The sample consisted of forty-three males and one female, who came from different geographic regions of the world. The study found the seafarers were fearful of being victimized by pirates; they saw themselves as direct victims of maritime piracy, while their families and seafarer-sending communities were viewed as indirect victims. The chapter emphasizes the need for a safer environment for seafarers and the prevention of victimization of seafarers by pirates.