Let’s do more to save lives – “NOT ON MY WATCH”
Have you signed Sailors’ Society’s petition to the International Labour Organisation, calling for wellness training to be made mandatory for seafarers in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)? If not, then do it now (sign Sailors’ Society’s petition here).
It doesn’t take a minute and could help increase awareness of depression and reduce the number of suicides amongst seafarers working hard but struggling with their mental wellness off our shores today.
Sailors’ Society launched their “Not on My Watch” campaign earlier this year and so far, have more than 2,500 signatures across 80 countries. But for the Maritime Labour Convention to change policy they need more signatures, so please do sign and share it too!
Did you know that more than a quarter of all seafarers suffer from depression? Working long hours, often in isolated environments, cut off from family and friends, living and working in the same confined space with strangers from different cultures, backgrounds and nationalities can be challenging and stressful for the uninitiated. For some the pressure can become unbearable.
With nearly 6% of deaths at sea resulting from suicide, excluding those who go missing under suspicious circumstances, that’s a whopping 6 times the suicide rate recorded amongst shore-based workers in the UK.
“Not On My Watch”is also calling on maritime companies to donate to the great work Sailors’ Society is doing in the mental wellness arena as well as set up their own wellness training programmes for their staff. With seafarers the world over either experiencing or witnessing mental health issues, we need to do more to share our experiences, fostering an environment of open discussion and support, where shipmates can ask one another if they’re OK and know where to turn if the answer is NO #asktwice
For more information about how you can join Sailors’ Society in saying Not On My Watch to suicide and depression at sea, visit: Not On My Watch
To sign Sailors’ Society’s petition visit here