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Six years ago, Vanesa Soto, who is now 26 years old, read in the newspaper that there was a ship, anchored at the port of Buenos Aires, that could be visited.

It was the first time she had seen the inside of a ship. The ship was the Global Mariner, acquired by the ITF as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of its campaign against flags of convenience. In July 1998, the Global Mariner sailed away from London, travelling through 86 ports in 51 countries on a trip around the world that lasted 20 months. In total, 750,000 visitors attended the exhibitions about life at sea. Vanesa was one of them. And she soon realised that this was not a conventional ship.

“While I was on board I was struck by all the evidence of trade union activity linked to the ITF. There was no cargo on board, only messages. And these messages were defending workers’ rights. It was a ship that carried hope – hope loaded in a ship!”

On that day in 1998, she changed course from her childhood dream of serving in the Argentinean army and decided to pursue a maritime career. Ironically this had also been her father’s industry. But he resigned from the job at the request of his, then little, daughter, who didn’t want her father to go away for so long again.

After three years of classes and another in practice, she graduated last year and has been working for four months as an officer on a tank ship that travels between Buenos Aires and the port of Santos (Brazil). In her brief experience so far, Vanesa has already witnessed two cases of women colleagues being sexually harassed at work. As to herself, although she is the only woman among 13 men on her ship, she has found a friendly workplace.

“I hear that some men have even changed their hygiene habits since I started working with them,” she says smiling. “Harassment appears to be more common when women are still cadets, and during long trips. I have learned that the problems women face are the same anywhere – language is the only difference. That’s why international unity will help us to build a different future.”