A pioneer seafaring woman inthe country has spoken out about her harassment ordeal out at sea.
Maryanne Lokoloko said she was sexually assaulted by a colleague while on duty as First Chief Officer, on board a cargo ship bound for Kiunga, Western Province.
The incident happened four months ago but Lokoloko said she’s come out now because she believes that every shipping company should have a Sexual Harassment Policy to protect seafarers, especiallythe females.
Maryanne Lokoloko has been a seafarer for 11 years. The job has has a downside. She was sexually assaulted by a male colleague whilst on duty at sea.
She said her company did nothing when she reportedthe matter, so she reportedthe incident to police atthe first Port of Call which was Kiunga, Western Province. She saidthe offender was apprehended and arrested 2 weeks ago in Port Moresby but was let out on bail.
Lokoloko is an experienced Chief Officer with skills in navigation, cargo operations, and crew management. She has worked with Chevron, Steamships Shipping and Curtain Bethers and her rank speaks for itself.
Also a Maritime Union member, she was instrumental in pushing for the Tanker Law, which was a success. Now, Maryanne wants to see every shipping company have a Sexual Harassment Policy to protect seafarers.
She said she has not been paid for at least 2 months by her employer afterthe incident and has not been given any written advice on why this has happened. When reached for comments, a senior manager ofthe Company, Louise Perkins said Maryanne was still an employee, butthe incident was a “civil matter” andthe company had nothing to do with it.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hEdopHJ_U%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
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