The current information from the Bahamas the place two younger U.S. ladies from a Carnival ship have been drugged and raped concerned a foreseeable, horrific crime at a Bahamian resort promoted by the cruise line, based on the victims. Earlier this week, the 2 younger ladies, who’re from the state of Kentucky, sailed on the Carnival Elation from Jacksonville to Freeport within the Bahamas and went to a resort promoted by Carnival (Pirate’s Cove Resort) after paying the cruise line shore tour price of $56.99. Carnival claims that the tour was an impartial shore tour though it seems clear that Carnival promoted this specific resort to its passengers and characterised it as a “picturesque” seashore with “skilled, hospitable and cordial workers (who) will guarantee you have got a memorial go to.” Earlier than they have been capable of return to the cruise ship, two males believed to be workers of the Bahamian resort drugged and raped them.
Above: a portion of Carnival Cruise Line’s promotional data promoting excursions to Pirate’s Cove earlier than the cruise line scrubbed it from its web site.
Cruise passengers Dongayla Dobson and Amber Shearer, who’ve used their actual names in media interviews, are each 31 years of age. They report being served alcohol by uniformed workers members on the Pirate’s Cove seashore resort throughout an tour really helpful and bought by Carnival Cruise Line (Carnival’s promotional data for the tour has been scrubbed from Carnival’s web site). Their drinks have been reportedly spiked with medication, later decided to incorporate opiates and benzodiazepines. Safety footage from the resort reportedly reveals that shortly after receiving the drinks, the ladies have been barely capable of stand as they have been led away to a toilet by the 2 resort workers and each raped by the 2 males. (In an interview with the Nassau Guardian, the resort claims that the surveillance footage doesn’t assist their claims however supplies no clarification for the alleged discrepancy). The Bahamian press has not named the 2 suspects, reporting solely {that a} “54-year-old man from Eight Mile Rock and a 40-year-old male from South Bahamia” have been arrested.
Ms. Dobson and Ms. Shearer each are actually taking anti-retoviral HIV remedy, after they have been examined and handled on the Carnival cruise ship. The ladies instructed a media outlet in Kentucky that they’ve “bruises up and down” their legs that are confirmed by images taken after the rapes.
Each ladies complained that the Royal Bahamian Law enforcement officials allegedly “handled them like criminals” and “refused to offer them rape kits.”
Carnival, Pirates Cove and the Royal Bahamas Police Power Push Again
It seems that the cruise line, tour resort and native police are all disputing among the information surrounding the crime. Carnival disputes that this crime occurred throughout a cruise-sponsored tour (though the cruise line faces the identical authorized publicity for not warning its company of the heightened hazard of rape within the Bahamas no matter whether or not the tour was sponsored or a personal enterprise). Pirate’s Cove claims that the ladies “refused to be transported to the hospital” and the native police have been quoted within the Bahamian press stating that the ladies allegedly declined emergency medical remedy. Nevertheless, the ladies knowledgeable U.S. media retailers that they have been knowledgeable that in the event that they went to the native hospital, their return to the cruise ship wouldn’t be assured and so they have been each involved that they weren’t touring with passports. The medical staff on the Carnival cruise ship ultimately examined the 2 victims and carried out testing which revealed the presence of medicine and the absence of alcohol within the ladies.
The truth that the cruise line, tour vendor and police are attempting to boost doubts about these horrific crimes is in keeping with Bahamian governmental officers who’ve labored extra time to guard the Bahamas’s repute and picture as a carefree, gratifying and secure vacationer vacation spot. The Bahamas started to push again in opposition to U.S. journey warnings as quickly as they have been issued. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis responded to the crime advisories about journey to his nation, stressing that the federal government “is alert, attentive and proactive to make sure that The Bahamas stays a secure and welcoming vacation spot.”
Crime Advisories for the Bahamas
Shortly earlier than the ladies’s cruise, the U.S. Division of State issued a Stage 2 journey advisory for the Bahamas as a result of a rise in violent crime, particularly recommending elevated warning on the islands of New Windfall and Grand Bahama. The warning talked about not solely violent crime like burglaries and armed robberies, however “sexual assaults in each vacationer and non-tourist areas” as effectively. Earlier than the State Division warning, america Embassy within the Bahamas issued a “safety alert” on January twenty fourth. It urged vacationers to “train excessive warning” in Nassau within the wake of 18 murders within the metropolis since January 1st.
Neither girl state that they have been conscious of the U.S. crime warnings for the Bahamas and they didn’t obtain any warnings from Carnival earlier than or throughout their arrival within the Bahamas.
Cruise Strains Have A Authorized Obligation to Warn Passengers of Risks in Ports of Name
Cruise traces, or course, have a authorized obligation to warn passengers of risks which exist not solely on their ships however in ports by which they name on.
Did Carnival Warn Its Friends of the Heightened Danger of Sexual Assault and Different Violent Crime within the Bahamas?
Through the years, we now have seen some cruise traces situation warnings to passengers about crime in some ports of name. Royal Caribbean, for instance, issued letters to passengers a number of years in the past warning concerning the hazard of crime in Nassau. However many cruise traces, like Carnival, don’t situation warnings but proceed to advertise shore tour, for monetary causes, into harmful ports of name.
As we are going to talk about in our subsequent weblog, cruise traces have an absolute obligation to warn its passengers of crime risks within the ports of name the place they go to. That is true whether or not the cruise company are on an tour promoted and bought by the cruise line or an independant tour unrelated to the cruise line
The Most Harmful Cruise Vacation spot within the World?
Ten years in the past, we revealed “Ten Most Harmful Cruise Locations within the World.” We selected the Bahamas because the primary most harmful cruise vacation spot due to armed robberies and quite a few sexual assaults in opposition to cruise vacationers in Nassau and Freeport. The Bahamas has been crime (stage 2) advisory for years. There have been a variety of crime warnings issued by the united statesEmbassy of the hazard of sexual assault at native seashore resorts.
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Picture Credit score: Photographs from the Carnival Elation – Dongayla Dobson Fb through Each day Mail; victims – interview with Dongayla Dobson and Amber Shearer.; Carnival Elation – Jersyko, CC BY-SA 3.0 commons / wikimedia.
