Voyage of Injustice: The Socioeconomic Exploitation in the Cruise Industry and a Call for Action

Abstract

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 thesis unveils the dark side of the cruise ship industry and explores the question: "How does the existing international legal architecture enable exploitation in the cruise ship industry and what are the pathways forward for reform?” This thesis 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. It addresses prior attempts for reform that have been unsuccessful and, in some instances, met with lobbying efforts by the cruise line industry. It illustrates the industry’s absolute refusal to voluntarily act in a moral and ethical manner that respects the rights of its workers. It advocates for reform and illustrates the need for multinational efforts. It finds that consumers putting direct bilateral pressure on domestic governments, flag states and the cruise industry are required. This thesis urges a call to action and concludes that consumers have the power to create change, recommending a boycott as one of the most powerful and effective actions to drive change in the cruise ship industry. The aim of this thesis is to raise awareness about the negative treatment inflicted upon cruise ship employees in hope that it will ignite public outcry and force positive change, accountability and reform.