The number of rapes and sexual assaults reported on cruise ships hit an all-time high in 2023, according to statistics compiled by the FBI.
There were 131 incidents reported in 2023, compared to 87 in 2022 and 101 in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the industry for almost two years.
However, experts warn that the actual number of cases is likely to be much higher. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, two out of three sexual assaults in the United States go unreported, and the Cruise Ship Safety Act of 2010 does not protect non-U.S. citizens.
Earlier this month, MSC Cruises was accused of two sex crimes on separate ships. One lawsuit alleges that a crew member raped a passenger, and another alleges the cruise line failed to protect an underage girl from sexual abuse in a bathroom.
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The Statue of Liberty seen as the MSC Meraviglia cruise ship departs New York Harbor on December 9, 2023. (Charlie Tribalew/AFP via Getty Images)
MSC Cruises said in an emailed statement that the company “cannot comment on specific ongoing litigation.”
“However, we take allegations of assault on board seriously.
“We will report any allegations to the appropriate law enforcement authorities and fully support any investigation to ensure that appropriate action is taken.”
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Jack Hickey, a Florida-based maritime attorney who filed both lawsuits, told Fox News Digital that cruise lines typically go to great lengths to hide crimes, especially sexual crimes.
“Cruise companies are concerned about their image. It's supposed to be a vacation. It's supposed to be a positive experience,” Hickey said. “They want sexual assault to be as hidden as possible.”
The cruise ship Carnival Magic departs from Port Canaveral, Florida. (Education Images/Universal Images Group, Getty Images)
The Cruise Ship Safety Act required the Department of Transportation to publish reported crime statistics on its website.
Sex crimes far outnumber other crimes reported in 2023, including 22 assaults resulting in “grave bodily harm,” two suspicious deaths, and 20 thefts over $10,000.
Approximately 500 sexual assaults and rapes have been reported since 2010, according to statistics reviewed by Fox News Digital.
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Hickey said that number is only a fraction of the actual number.
The Cruise Ship Security and Safety Act does not require cruise ships to report crimes against non-Americans, and there is a narrow definition of rape that cruise line management companies use to “substantially” underreport incidents to the FBI.
And there is no outside body to verify what cruise companies say.
“It's like a fox guarding the chicken coop,” Hickey said.
Nationally, more than two out of three sexual assaults go unreported, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. (National Rape, Abuse, and Incest Network)
Added trauma to survivors trapped on boat with attackers
Hickey said rape on cruise ships is even more traumatizing for survivors. This is because the survivors are trapped on the ship with their assailants until the next port.
And even then, he said, survivors must have the resources and means to get off the ship and get home, especially if the attacker is an employee, and they don't know where the attacker is. said.
“I feel like I'm in prison,” said Hickey, who filed two lawsuits in Florida courts against MSC Cruises in January.
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On March 5, 2023, a passenger on board the MSC Meraviglia was allegedly raped by a crew member.
According to the complaint, the survivor was “forcefully grabbed by the arm,” and her assailant screamed, “licked her face,” and “violently threw[Jane Doe]onto the bed.”
She fled after a “physical struggle,” but the crew chased her down a hallway, pushed her against a wall and threatened to “report it and they'd come back and find[Jane Doe].”
Another lawsuit accuses the cruise line of failing to protect a 6-year-old girl in the “Mini Club,” an area specifically designated for children up to 17.
According to the complaint, a man of unknown age, who was also under the care of Mini Club staff, allegedly followed the girl to the bathroom and groped her.
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“A careless and negligent employee repeatedly allowed the male passenger to enter the restroom while Mr. AK was alone and unprotected,” the complaint states.
He grabbed her private parts and left the bathroom to join a group of boys laughing, according to the complaint.
