Date: December 14, 2023
The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) announces the development and release of posters on the prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH), retaliation, bullying, hazing, coercion, stalking, and other prohibited behaviors in the U.S. Merchant Marine. The posters encourage bystander intervention and provide guidance for a practical approach for the varied audiences within the maritime industry.
The SOCP Achieving a Respectful Onboard Culture (AROC) Technical Team, with industry input, developed these posters under a cooperative agreement with the Maritime Administration (MARAD) to support Every Mariner Builds a Respectful Culture (EMBARC) standards and address issues affecting the shipboard climate in the U.S. maritime industry.
The SASH prevention posters cover fifteen different topics, some of which include the following themes: All Reports Investigated, Dos and Don’ts, Leadership Culture, Responsibility, Shore Leave, and more. SOCP encourages companies to post these onboard their vessels and in shoreside facilities.
The posters are available to download at no cost by visiting the SOCP SASH Prevention products web page at https://www.socp.us/sash-prevention. SOCP encourages organizations to share this link on their websites for maximum exposure and distribution of these helpful SASH prevention products.
The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) is a non-profit organization of maritime industry professionals working together to improve the safety, productivity, efficiency, security, and environmental performance of U.S. vessel operations. SOCP collaborated with its members, which include U.S. ship owners and operators, maritime unions, academies, training institutions, government agencies, and others, to solicit recommendations on the content of the best practices for the U.S. Merchant Marine industry. SOCP’s maritime industry expertise contributed toward creating these SASH prevention posters for the U.S. Merchant Marine.