The reality of sexual violence occurring in Antarctic bases is known in detail. What is even more serious is the structure of sexual violence itself, which is so prevalent that reports of sexual violence to Antarctic bases supervised by US government agencies are ignored.
On the 27th (local time), the Associated Press focused on the issue of continued sexual violence targeting women at the McMurdo base in Antarctica, based on court documents, internal communication materials, and interviews with related persons.
According to reports, a macho culture prevailed at McMurdo Station, and there were frequent cases of men verbally and sexually assaulting women, as well as sexual assaults and threats to their lives.
Although a male-centered culture of misogyny prevailed in an isolated community like a remote island in Antarctica, it was pointed out as a problem that there was virtually no system for maintaining public order. McMurdo Base, which is funded and supervised by the
US National Science Foundation ( NSF ), houses employees of many companies that have won research contracts, such as Leidos.
The base population is 200 to 300 in winter in the southern hemisphere and increases to 1,000 in summer, 70% of which are male.
There are no police or detention centers on site, and only one armed federal law enforcement officer is in charge of policing.
The Associated Press criticized that under such conditions, women are easily exposed to sexual violence, and even if they complain of damage, they are ignored or disadvantaged.
Cases of continuing to work alongside the perpetrator without being separated from the perpetrator, cases of rape damage diluted to the extent of bullying, and cases of being fired after reporting the crime to the supervisor have been reported.
One victim, Liz Mo Nerhorn, claimed she was sexually assaulted and threatened with life by a man she once dated at the base.
Mo Nairhorn, a mechanical mechanic, said she always carried a hammer under her work clothes or sports bra to protect herself because no one would help her in a situation like this.
She explained that “she figured she had to survive” and that she “was going to wield it wherever he came near.”
A woman who was a catering worker complained to her boss about being sexually assaulted by her male co-worker, but she was only rebuked and fired two months later.
An administrative staff member who was trying to rectify the situation was also fired after being told not to “make a problem” by the head office.
This incident led female workers to form a rights protection group in recognition of the need for a better system to deal with sexual assault cases.
As the Antarctic macho-style sexual violence culture rose안전놀이터 to the cutting board, Leidos hurriedly presented a solution.
Leidos appeared before Congress in December of last year and proposed making a hole in the door of the employee’s residence, restricting the master key to open multiple doors, and providing additional satellite phones to employees on site. .
At the hearing, Congressman Mike Garcia couldn’t hide his embarrassment at the too late action, saying, “It should have been done before sending people to Antarctica.” NSF
, the oversight body of Base McMurdo, recognized the seriousness of the sexual violence incident and responded to it. According to a report published by NSF last year, 59% of women at McMurdo Station said they had been molested or sexually assaulted in a survey. 72% of women indicated that such behavior was a problem because they were Antarctic. NSF has instructed Leidos to immediately report serious health and safety incidents, including sexual assault or sexual assault. It also announced that it would open an office to receive reports of sexual assault, provide victims with an attorney under security, and open a 24-hour helpline.