American Liz Monahon, 35, had to keep a pole to defend herself against a man pursuing her, in the absence of official protection for women working in Antarctica.
In a lengthy report, the Associated Press indicated the suffering of many working women on the isolated continent, with widespread harassment and sexual assault, and the absence of the necessary accountability.
Monahon, who works for a US think tank at McMurdo Station, said she keeps the hammer with her at all times, either wrapped in her clothes or in her sports bra.
The employee works within the American Antarctic program that is supervised by the National Science Foundation (NSF), a US federal research agency, and the program is operated by companies contracting with it, and the main company there is Leidos.
McMurdo has no police station or prison, and law enforcement responsibility rests with the deputy US marshal on site.
Monahon is one of many women who say the isolated environment and patriarchal culture at the American think tank in Antarctica allowed sexual harassment and assault to flourish.
When she became concerned about the man who was working with her, she told HR that she feared for her safety. But they took no action, according to her account.
According to NSF data contained in a report released last year, 59 percent of women said they had been harassed or assaulted while there.
The Associated Press, after reviewing court records and communications, and after interviewing more than a dozen current and former employees, found that authorities downplayed complaints of harassment and assault, often putting victims in further danger.
In one case, a woman reported that a colleague had groped her but she was forced to work with him again. In another case, a woman who reported a sexual assault to her employer was fired, and a woman in McMurdo told a US deputy marshal that her colleague put his leg to her throat for about a minute while she was desperately trying to tell him she couldn’t breathe.
Faced with this situation, women have created their own support group, Ice Allies. More than 300 people in the group have signed a petition calling for better systems for dealing with sexual assaults.
The NSF report led to an investigation in the US Congress.
For its part, Ledos said: “Our position on sexual harassment or assault could not be clearer: We have zero tolerance for such behaviour. Every case is thoroughly investigated.”
NSF told the Associated Press that it improved safety in Antarctica last year and now requires Ledos to immediately report any sexual incidents, and has also set up a desk to handle such complaints and a 24-hour helpline.
But Monahon’s colleague has not faced any legal action and now lives in New Zealand.
Monahon hopes her story will prompt more accountability for contractors in Antarctica, and she wants NSF to do more than just replace Leidos when its contract expires in 2025.
“What are they going to do to make sure the next contractor doesn’t do the same?” she said.
#Sexual #crimes #Antarctica.. #women #defend
2023-08-27 17:24:00
