Ayşe Aslı Başak, one of the world’s three-port captains, has successfully developed an application that empowers women to instantaneously report harassment, mobbing, and any violence they face on board, reports Marine Insight.
The application
Developed in collaboration with a Singapore-based start-up in the leadership of the Seafarers International Union, this application is going to be available to vessels all over the globe after the project is finalized, Başak observed.
They are in the second year of the project that is expected to last for five years, mentioned Başak, mentioning that she had been inspired by KADES, a mobile application introduced by two ministries for women who desire to inform the security forces without calling them, lodging complaints, and seeking immediate help.
She stated that she also learned how many male seafarers were harassed even though she designed the project by drawing instances from female seafarers. Başak said that this is why they are developing the application so that everyone can use it, irrespective of whether they are women/men.
About Başak
After graduating from the Istanbul Technical University’s (İTÜ) maritime transportation and management engineering department, she had to draw a line and end her career as a ship captain due to health issues, Başak mentioned. Then, it was decided to leave the seas, do something on land and become a port captain.
A port captain is responsible for mooring a vessel to the port, the progress of loading activities at the port, and establishing the connection between the port and the ship, Başak explained, observing that there are three female captains at the port in the world.
Dealing with the issues of women seafarers, the 31-year-old became a part of the board of directors at various international maritime associations when she was 25.
Başak was one of the top 10 successful women in the maritime world at Oslo’s Nor-Shipping Fair, which was held in 2019. She provided mentorship to 120 students in two years with the association she founded- SheFarers.
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Source: Marine Insight
