Current:Home > FinanceTakeaways from AP’s investigation into sexual harassment and assault at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Takeaways from AP’s investigation into sexual harassment and assault at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station
View Date:2024-12-23 17:07:59
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Many women who work at McMurdo Station, the main United States research base in Antarctica, say the isolated environment and macho culture have allowed sexual harassment and assault to flourish.
The National Science Foundation, which oversees the U.S. Antarctic Program, published a report in 2022 in which 59% of women said they’d experienced harassment or assault while on the ice.
But the problem goes beyond the harassment itself, The Associated Press found. In reviewing court records and internal communications, and in interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, the AP uncovered a pattern of women who said their claims of harassment or assault were minimized by their employers, often leading to them or others being put in further danger.
Several Antarctic workers spoke publicly about their experiences to the AP for the first time.
GRABBING A HAMMER
Mechanic Liz Monahon told the AP a man at the base threatened her in 2021, but her employers did little to protect her. So she grabbed a hammer and kept it on her at all times.
“If he came anywhere near me, I was going to start swinging at him,” Monahon said. “I decided that I was going to survive.”
It turns out the man had a criminal record in New Zealand and had breached a protection order before he’d deployed, a judge later found. Workers said they took matters into their own hands and kept Monahon safe by sending her away from the base on a mission over the sea ice. The man later left Antarctica.
In a recorded interview, a human resources representative told Monahon that problems with the base’s drinking culture had been going on for years.
A PATTERN OF PROBLEMS
Monahon’s case wasn’t an anomaly. A food worker in 2019 told her bosses she’d been sexually assaulted by a coworker. Two months later, the woman was fired.
In another case, a woman who reported that a man in a senior role had groped her said she was made to work alongside him again.
Another woman said she was raped, but the incident was later misclassified by the man’s employers as merely harassment.
AGENCIES RESPOND
The NSF said it improved safety in Antarctica last year. It now requires Leidos, the prime contractor, to immediately report incidents of sexual assault and harassment. The NSF said it also created an office to deal with such complaints, provided a confidential victim’s advocate, and established a 24-hour helpline.
Leidos told Congress in December it would install peepholes on dorm room doors, limit access to master keys that could open multiple bedrooms, and give teams in the field an extra satellite phone.
But the complaints of violence did not stop with the NSF report. Five months after its release, a woman at McMurdo said she’d been assaulted by a male colleague. His trial is scheduled for November.
Monahon said she hopes her story prompts contractors in Antarctica to face more accountability in the future.
veryGood! (187)
Related
- Controversial comedian Shane Gillis announces his 'biggest tour yet'
- Georgia-Alabama showdown is why Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck chose college over the NFL
- US resumes hazardous waste shipments to Michigan landfill from Ohio
- Texas official indicted, accused of making fake social media posts during election
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- What to know about Hurricane Helene and widespread flooding the storm left across the Southeast US
- UCLA baseball team locked out of home field in lawsuit over lease involving veteran land
- Athletics fans prepare for final game at Oakland Coliseum: 'Everyone’s paying the price'
- Man killed in Tuskegee University shooting in Alabama is identified. 16 others were hurt
- 'Wolfs' review: George Clooney, Brad Pitt bring the charm, but little else
Ranking
- Amazon Black Friday 2024 sales event will start Nov. 21: See some of the deals
- Trump favors huge new tariffs. What are they, and how do they work?
- Ex-'Apprentice’ candidates dump nearly entire stake in owner of Trump’s Truth Social platform
- As many forests fail to recover from wildfires, replanting efforts face huge odds -- and obstacles
- Will Aaron Rodgers retire? Jets QB tells reporters he plans to play in 2025
- Melania Trump calls her husband’s survival of assassination attempts ‘miracles’
- Depleted energy levels affect us all. But here's when they could indicate something serious.
- Emmanuel Littlejohn executed in Oklahoma despite clemency recommendation from state board
Recommendation
-
Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
-
Six months later, a $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot still hasn’t been claimed
-
Why Paige DeSorbo Wasn't by Boyfriend Craig Conover's Side at 2024 People's Choice Country Awards
-
Why Comedian Matt Rife Wants to Buy The Conjuring House
-
Traveling to Las Vegas? Here Are the Best Black Friday Hotel Deals
-
Empowering Investors: The Vision of Dream Builder Wealth Society
-
Brett Favre Parkinson's diagnosis potentially due to head trauma, concussions
-
A New England treasure hunt has a prize worth over $25,000: Here's how to join