Researchers head to Antarctica Research Base after claims of sexual violence

The National Science Foundation’s independent monitor is sending researchers to McMurdo Station in Antarctica, who should arrive Monday after a report last year raised concerns about sexual abuse and harassment at a U.S. research base.

The foundation’s Office of Inspector General is sending two people to the remote station for about two weeks to prepare “for a future on-site presence in Antarctica and to meet with staff to explain our role,” Lisa Vonder said Her, bureau chief of staff. said in an email.

McMurdo Station, the main U.S. station in Antarctica, employs more than 1,000 workers during the summer season. according to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that supports research and education in science. In winter the population reaches a peak of about 220 people.

The station has a city-like infrastructure with dormitories, a fire station, utilities and shops. Scientists there research glaciers, wildlife, climate change and other topics.

Last year, a National Science Foundation report found that many members of the Antarctic program said sexual violence, sexual harassment and stalking were problems in the program.

The June 2022 The report was based on interviews, online surveys and focus groups with people at McMurdo Station and other research and fieldwork sites in Antarctica.

These research sites are isolated and colleagues live close to each other, which the report says “creates a complicated dynamic that blurs the boundaries between personal and professional lives.”

In October 2022, the foundation’s Office of Inspector General began an independent inspection of the U.S. Antarctic Program’s prevention and response to sexual harassment and assault.

The agency has had special officers responding remotely to worker complaints at Antarctic research stations since July and is “working to have an on-site presence during the future Australian summer seasons,” Ms Vonder Haar said.

She said the Office of the Inspector General has also built up its capacity to investigate sexual assault, including by sending trained special agents to Antarctica after a sexual assault.

Ms. Vonder Haar said the assistant inspector general for investigations and a special agent who has investigated sexual assaults in remote areas will be at the investigation station from Monday to November 17, barring weather delays.

About a year after the foundation released its internal report, The Associated Press published a study that found that the “isolated environment and macho culture” at McMurdo Station had allowed sexual violence and harassment to flourish. The investigation was based on court records, internal communications and interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees of the research base.

The 2022 report found that 59 percent of women in focus groups said they had had a negative experience with sexual assault or sexual harassment. Of these women, 95 percent knew someone who had experienced sexual violence or harassment during the program, the report said.

The report included excerpts from interviews with employees, who were not named, including one woman who said she was told “to stay away from Building Buildings” on her first day at McMurdo Station. [X] unless I wanted to be raped.”

Another interviewee said women at McMurdo sometimes carry tools, such as a hammer, or other objects that could be used as weapons, because they thought no one was looking out for their safety.

The report said there was a “widely shared perception” among interviewees that victims would be punished for reporting sexual misconduct and that perpetrators would be allowed to keep their jobs or even promoted.

The report also found that a system for prevention was “almost absent,” with resources instead focused on response.

In addition to the researchers’ trip to Antarctica, the foundation announces on Thursday that it had appointed Renée Ferranti as Special Assistant to the Director of the Foundation for the Prevention and Response Implementation of Sexual Violence and Harassment.

She will review existing policies, advise on resource allocation and recommend organizational improvements, the agency said.

The foundation’s director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, said in a statement that the job plays a “critical role as NSF continues to strengthen our efforts to promote safe research environments for all.”

“Addressing this widespread problem remains a top priority for me and the agency, and with Renée’s expertise, we will continue to adapt and further accelerate our efforts to address the evolving landscape of sexual violence prevention and response,” he said.