Voyage of Injustice: The Socioeconomic Exploitation in the Cruise Industry

By: Tarissa L. Peterson

PDF: Voyage of Injustice

Behind the glamour of the cruise ship industry lies a dark reality of systemic exploitation that requires public awareness and urgent action to facilitate reform. This Article unveils the dark side of the cruise ship industry and whether the existing international legal architecture enables exploitation in the cruise ship industry, and the pathways forward for reform.

This Article delves into the cruise ship industry’s employment practices and unfair treatment of its workers. It explores the phenomenon of exploitation on the high seas and

examines the legal architecture that permits it. It highlights the critical role of flags of convenience in facilitating and perpetuating exploitation. This Article addresses prior attempts for reform that have been unsuccessful and, in some instances, met with lobbying efforts to resist reforms by the cruise line industry. It illustrates the cruise lines’ refusal to voluntarily act to respects the rights of its workers—at minimum, to treat workers onboard ships as they do their domestic or corporate employees. This Article advocates for reform and illustrates the need for international and domestic government regulations in conjunction with consumer action to put direct pressure on domestic governments, flag states, and the cruise industry.

The aim of this Article is to raise awareness about the negative treatment inflicted upon cruise ship employees to ignite public mobilization.