this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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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.

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[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 107 points 3 months ago (6 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.

[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 60 points 3 months ago (15 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.

[–] CheeseToastie@lazysoci.al 24 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 12 points 3 months ago (3 children)

The need to be polite and feeling of blame are both an extension of the lie that we are weak and can’t physically stand up for ourselves. It doesn’t necessarily matter whether we’re believed if we are ultimately safe from the assault in the first place.

But our culture has made us forget that we are strong and capable, has raised us to never develop the muscles to be able to stop someone, to never tear an assailant’s skin off with our teeth, etc.

I could be wildly out of left field, here, and I am extremely privileged that I’ve never been hurt in this way. I just want to see minorities believe that we are strong…because we are.

[–] CheeseToastie@lazysoci.al 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I agree with a lot of what you say. Just bear in mind if they kill/harm someone to prevent themselves being raped, they have to explain this to various authorities. And may feel they won't be believed

[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Because for a long time we weren't believed. It's why #metoo was so important.

[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 6 points 3 months ago

Agreed. The fact that we have to depend on structurally patriarchal/domineering justice system is the problem… It’s a whole mess.

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[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 17 points 3 months ago (2 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.

[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I was raised in America as well.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you're not a woman. I think you're underestimating how prevalent and protected sexual assault can be

[–] Zippygutterslug@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You mean there aren't any women who would talk about it in your family I guess, cause statistically speaking that's not likely.

[–] cool@lemmings.world 4 points 3 months ago

It's not really unique to women or SA. I'm not trying to downplay the severity of it, I'm merely highlighting how most crimes are actually quite hard to prove and get justice for.

For example, most people whose cars are broken into never receive justice.

[–] JacksonLamb@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months 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 @the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world just suggested.

[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] JacksonLamb@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months 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.

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[–] SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 9 points 3 months 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.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (8 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.

[–] ilovepiracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

While this argument makes sense on paper, it completely nullifies the point. Both should be taught for the following reasons:

  1. You can educate people all you want, but that will not stop the people who simply never gave a flying fuck.
  2. Okay, now you're back to square one, there are evil men out there that don't give a fuck about anyone and WILL abuse you given the opportunity. Thank god they received a talk about how you shouldn't hurt women when they were in 6th grade.
  3. You are now still in a situation where you have to respond to violence, but since self-defence wasn't taught to you, you have to be a helpless victim of said violence.

"It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war."

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Problem is everybody focuses on teaching girls/women and lets the boys/men off with nothing.

Yes, both should be taught ... so start pushing for the boys/men now.

[–] cool@lemmings.world 1 points 3 months ago

If you're hanging around people that need to be "taught" rape is bad, then maybe you should find a better friend group.

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[–] cool@lemmings.world 2 points 3 months 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.

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[–] SARGE@startrek.website 34 points 3 months 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.

[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

Same, too many people on here have a defeatist mindset and it baffles me.

[–] lost_faith@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That is close to my thought, "Hey asshole, you gotta sleep sometime..."

[–] the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

Exactly, thank you.

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The body of this article also only mentions physical assault. It appears the telegraph completely made up the sexual assault part and is whipping people into a frenzy over it.

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah, well, sexual assault in the antarctic is a lot more clickable I guess.

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