- NUSS, Japan and ILO give new lease of life for 26 village girls
- Transgender community encouraged to join program
Barely a month ago the young girls were labouring under the scorching heat in the rice fields and vegetable farms in far flung villages-earning a pittance as a daily wage since they came from impoverished homes and with a bleak future ahead of them.
Needless to say most of them had received their basic education at the village schools but at the end of the day they fell short in finding decent employment with a decent earnings so life continued to rough for them.
With a zero knowledge of the English language finding employment in the larger cities remained a wild dream and so they were left with no option to work in the farming lands.
And then it all happened without prior notice where a few of the lucky girls were provided with an opening to venture out into the open world although it would not be a walk in the park.
NUSS President Boa Athukorale
ITF Inspector Ranjan Perera
A local maritime trade union known as the National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka (NUSS) came up with a unique plan that was financed by the Government of Japan and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The NUSS along its partners pondered with the idea of recruiting female seafarers which was not known earlier in the industry and so they went about making plans for this unique feat.
The NUSS operatives were sent to all parts of the country from the South to the North and elsewhere and their prime task was to select young female volunteers that belonged to impoverished homes to be trained as seafarers.
Upkeep
With that process completed 26 girls were finally selected for training at a marine academic school in the city and elsewhere and their upkeep was maintained by the NUSS and its affiliates.
The training for the girls was not a walk in the park – the exercise drills included firefighting, life saving tactics, first aid treatment, communication skills and the list goes on and on.
Fast forward three months and the girls are now busy undergoing vigorous training by seasoned seafarer instructors at maritime schools and are now eagerly waiting for more action such as working on a ship in whatever category that is offered to them.
“This batch of 26 girls is the fourth that we have trained to be seafarers and we are adamant that they all make it to the finishing line.
In the past we successfully trained 75 such females and today they are all employed on vessels as seafarers, gantry crane operators or as handlers in the harbours.
The recent batch of 26 includes two transgender girls and many from the LGBT community have voiced serious concern to join the NUSS team-something we wish to encourage at the fullest’ said the NUSS President Boa Athukorale.
He said the members of the LGBT community has been sidelined by the larger society for many years although they are citizens of this country and entitled to their constitutional rights in every form.
He said the project was started in 2021 with the assistance of the Japanese Government and the ILO and although there was no funding from the State there was however limited encouragement.
“On the one hand seafarers also contribute to the country’s foreign reserves which is helpful during the ongoing financial crisis that the country is experiencing.
At present there are an estimated 17,000 active male Sri Lankan seafarers sailing on foreign vessels.
It was only the other day that the chief of the ITF Steven Cotton described the Sri Lankan seafarers as intelligent, hard working and trustworthy and added that they are the best in Asia if not in the entire maritime world.
Female cadres
He said that adding female cadres into this sector is bold and very encouraging for an Asian country where such jobs are reserved for only men.
At this juncture when this Movement is picking up momentum it would be encouraging if the State could help in whatever possible way either financially or otherwise, said Colombo representative of the International Transport workers Federation (ITF) Ranjan Perera.
The ITF is an affiliate of the NUSS and, therefore, we are working closely together in a bid to enhance this project, Perera said.
Pix By Malisha Liyanage
Courtesy NUSS
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Abhimana (Pride)
Is a trade union made up from the transgender community that was set up by the NUSS.
It has a considerable number of members, three of who have already joined the seafarer program. Many more are keen to join and will be shortlisted at the next recruitment program, said Boa Athukorale.
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Naomi Amarasiri
Naomi Amarasiri is the most outstanding seafarer from the NUSS program and today she sails the seas on of the world’s finest cruise liner.
The best thing that happened in my life was to be a sailor and here I am on the open ocean inside a majestic boat. “It’s just great and I sincerely hope more Sri Lankan females will have an equal chance or even a better one she said.
Here is what she said after winning the Inclusivity Youth Leader Award 2024.
“Words cannot express how grateful I am for winning the Inclusivity Youth Leader Award 2024 and I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the women in management / NUSS / ILO / and Mercantile Marine Management Ltd, for your encouragement has been instrumental in my success.
Special thanks to Dr. Sulochana Segera, Bhagya Wettasinghe, Palitha Athukorala and Lalith Ekanayake Dhanushka Lemasthota.
