The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has ordered manning agencies deploying Filipino seafarers on cruise ships to intensify their efforts against child pornography and sexual violence.
This directive followed a spate of arrests in the U.S. involving Filipino seafarers accused of child exploitation offenses.
In a recent advisory, the DMW mandated that agencies include specific modules on Republic Act 11930 — Philippine legislation targeting online sexual abuse and exploitation of children — in their orientation programs for departing seafarers.
“The DMW is an active member of the IACAT, and we do not tolerate any forms of exploitation of children, much especially if the circumstances involve our Filipino seafarers,” said Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac, underscoring the agency’s commitment as part of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).
The DMW outlined clear responsibilities for manning agencies, directing them to educate seafarers on U.S. federal and state laws that criminalize all forms of child pornography, including its production, possession, viewing, and distribution, “even if committed within private areas”.
Under this directive, manning agencies must ensure seafarers understand prohibitions against accessing or subscribing to websites hosting child exploitation content, possessing any form of child sexual abuse materials, and viewing such materials in private spaces.
To further support investigations, the DMW has instructed manning agencies to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and to provide legal assistance to accused seafarers during searches, arrests, and preliminary hearings.
The DMW reported an increase in arrests of Filipino cruise ship workers in the U.S., though specific figures were not disclosed. Maritime Fairtrade reached out to Cacdac for further details on the number of Filipinos arrested under these allegations; however, he has yet to respond.
In addition, the DMW urges all Filipino seafarers to maintain ethical conduct and to avoid situations that could lead to child exploitation, cautioning against “subscription, possession, viewing, distribution, and selling” of illicit materials.
The Philippines remains one of the world’s largest suppliers of maritime labor, with 578,626 seafarers deployed abroad in 2023.
Earlier, Royal Caribbean Cruises Lines (RCCL) faces legal scrutiny after passengers filed a lawsuit alleging hidden cameras, reportedly placed by a former employee, were discovered in staterooms on the cruise ship Symphony of the Seas.
The lawsuit, filed in Florida’s Southern District on behalf of a passenger identified as “Jane Doe” and “all other similarly situated passengers,” claimed that RCCL “should have known sexual assaults were reasonably foreseeable given the prevalence of such incidents on RCCL cruise ships”, and that the company should have warned guests and properly trained its staff, according to Fox News.
This case included former Filipino stateroom attendant Arvin Joseph Mirasol, who received a 30-year prison sentence in August after pleading guilty to producing child pornography.
U.S. authorities discovered Mirasol’s offenses after a guest found a hidden camera in a bathroom, exposing his covert recordings of minors from December 2023 to February 2024. Mirasol’s actions affected victims as young as two years old up to 17.
While the Filipino seafarer is now serving his sentence, concerned passengers continue to demand stronger security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, stressing the need for enhanced safeguards on cruise ships.
Photo credit: iStock/ Rattankun Thongbun
