this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
363 points (98.7% liked)

World News

44189 readers
3326 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

A South African scientist at the remote Sanae IV Antarctic base has been accused of sexual assault and violent threats, prompting urgent pleas for help.

The 10-person team is stranded for months due to extreme winter conditions. Officials were warned of the escalating situation as early as December but failed to act.

South Africa’s environment department has launched an investigation and is offering counseling.

The incident raises concerns over psychological screening for Antarctic missions, echoing past violent incidents in South Africa’s research programs.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 hours ago

this article says physical assault, not sexual.

“An intervention is in place,” he said. “The person who assaulted the team leader is remorseful and has been psychologically re-evaluated willingly.” Asked what triggered the alleged assault, George said: “It was a dispute over a task the team leader wanted the team to do – a weather-dependent task that required a schedule change.”

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago

The articles is so interesting! Why not have our greatest heroe leaders enjoy some of this peaceful resort-like friendly environment? Orange man would absolute love it. Swasticman too would love the outdoors! There, the white snow is powerful! One might say it has white....maybe one might not say that, wink, wink! C'mon O man and S man, go check it out! Maybe clean up DEI over there?

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 day ago (2 children)

You would imagine the people that go to Antarctica are prepared to be self reliant. It's 9 vs 1. You could institute a little ice justice (beat him) and lock him in a room.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 22 hours ago

Carry around a hammer?

Realistically they are probably appealing for outside help because the ones who take this seriously don't have the numbers.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

if I was locked in a building with a documented rapist for three months, I would lock him in the walk-in-freezer.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Ya'll are kinder than I am. I say put him outside and let the problem solve itself.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

In Antarctica, outside is the walk-in freezer

[–] [email protected] 11 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

So it would be walk-out freezer then? 👀

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago

I agree to both.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago

I think their mess hall actually heats their fridge.

[–] [email protected] 104 points 1 day ago (7 children)

I would think frontier justice would apply nicely in this situation. Just boot the asshole out in the cold and nature will solve the problem for you.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 hour ago

Your comment is kinda case-in-point demonstrating how "frontier" justice can be unjust.

Other publications are reporting physical assault, not sexual. It could have been a slap. Still unacceptable but probably doesn't deserve death by exposure.

My point is, it sounds like a difficult situation but following procedure and running it up the chain is always the right move.

[–] [email protected] 58 points 1 day ago (17 children)

Women and some other minorities are raised to not even consider using acts of violence to protect ourselves, like it never crosses our minds as a possibility that we could physically hurt an assailant if we wanted to. We have internalized a sense of weakness that isn’t actually true. This has been detrimental to our safety as well as the safety of other women. Fuck the patriarchy for doing this to us.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Don't put this on the victims. Women are doing their best to defend themselves.

Unfortunately there's a culture of sexual assault at Antarctica, where the "boys will be boys" crowd overrule the kind of thing @[email protected] just suggested.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I never once blamed the victims. And I never will.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 19 hours ago (5 children)

My point is that the women being sexually assaulted in Antarctica haven't been passively sitting there saying it "never crossed their mind" to protect themselves - one had to walk around for months wielding a hammer to use as a weapon against her assailant.

It's the wider system down there and the rape culture society that is creating this system not some kind of passive internaluzed helplessness. Most women field scientists are tough as nails because they have to be.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 day ago (7 children)

Plus fear of being believed, self blame and feeling of needing to be polite.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I am sad for the way you were raised, in my entire extended family there is not one woman who would have put up with it or had any thought other than self-defense at whatever cost.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I’d love to spread your family’s mindset through the larger white American culture (the one in which I was raised)!

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Absolutely 100%. I think basic self-defense should be a required course in middle school or high school, especially for women. And I would encourage any woman or any person for that matter to take charge of their personal defense, in whatever way is most comfortable for them. Carry a gun, carry a taser, carry pepper spray, take martial arts classes like Krav, etc.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 18 hours ago

A gun is pretty much the best solution, especially for a woman.

Tasers, pepper spray, martial arts, etc don't always work and usually serve to just piss off your assailant.

I keep saying this: women and minorities should be the ones owning the most guns, not white males.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (10 children)

Schools should be teaching boys to respect women and not believe they have a 'right' to women's bodies.

If we hit the source of the problem it can be fixed ... and the source is not women, it's boys/men.

load more comments (10 replies)
load more comments (13 replies)
[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Exactly what I was thinking.

When you're cut off from any help, you ARE your own help. Don't wait for something unthinkable to happen, this person has made it clear they don't respect you or boundaries, and have made threats.

It's 9v1, if you're scared just wait until they're asleep. Kick them out the door, lock it, and they can try walking their happy ass back to civilization. from Antarctica

Don't bother looking for a body.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I've seen enough scifi to know that (ant)arctic research stations ought to have a quarantine area so that ill crewmembers can be compassionately kept alive separated from those they might harm while still having access to life support in a hostile environment.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Antarctic builds are costly, difficult, and filled with challenges you don't see in daily life, so while that might seem like a simple idea, it's about half as hard as as putting it on the space station, with a 10th or less the budget.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago

I believe it's a remote station/environment issue based on my working in Antarctic and on Research ships.

NSF finally saw the light after it was forced down their throat, and they still haven't resolved it.

https://apnews.com/article/women-working-antarctica-sexual-harassment-assault-mcmurdo-ba0e550fddf1ab0afd031ff4d25143cb

[–] [email protected] 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

First of all these are allegations. An investigation should be conducted to gather all evidence to see if charges should be filed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 hours ago

South Africa’s environment minister, Dion George, whose department manages the country’s Antarctic programme, confirmed that an assault had taken place and that he was “considering options”, without specifying what these were.

... so not merely allegations.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Perhaps they should remove him and arrest him instead of just offering counseling.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (3 children)

They're cut off, noone's getting in or out until the weather improves, which will be months. The team are on their own with the attacker until then and will probably appreciate counselling when they're out.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›