McMurdo Station in Antarctica, where alcohol is prohibited. Photo: US NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
U.S. government scientists stationed at the Antarctica base have banned the purchase of alcohol from bars as part of a crackdown on alleged sexual assaults.
Beginning Sunday, bars at NSF's McMurdo Station Foundation (NSF) temperatures could drop to minus 50°C. , will only serve non-alcoholic drinks.
However, employees will maintain their alcohol ration, allowing them to purchase the equivalent of 18 beers, three bottles of wine or a 750ml bottle of liquor each week.
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One alleged victim of sexual assault on base said, that the move «won't accomplish anything,» arguing the plant's culture needed to change.
Several women made offensive statements about the behavior of colleagues at the site, which they said were later downplayed by their bosses.
One woman who said she was sexually assaulted was fired after two months, and an alleged rape victim said her complaint was downgraded to harassment. 
McMurdo Station was founded in 1955 and is the largest in Antarctica. : NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Since the allegations emerged in an Associated Press investigation last month, NSF said it is working to curb sexual misconduct on the base.
Researchers will only be able to order soft drinks at two McMurdo's restaurants. main bars: Southern Exposure and Gallagher's. However, they will still be able to bring alcoholic beverages from a local store and consume them in bars.
“We will not rest until we are confident that every member of the Antarctic community feels safe and supported. «said NSF Chief Operating Officer Karen Marrongel.
But Jennifer Sorensen, who said she was raped in McMurdo in 2015, says the problem of re-hiring criminals and hesitant victims needs to be addressed.
“They know full well that all the rationing or denial of alcohol forcing sales on us will get us nowhere,” she said.
“In the vast majority of cases, sexual violence occurred even when neither party was drinking alcohol, as was the case with me.” .
Britt Barkis said “alcohol had nothing to do with it” when she was groped in McMurdo in 2017.
She continued: “My company HR later told me that I would have to to work with the criminal again because his job was critical and there was no one to replace his role.
“None of these new policies implemented by the NSF would have prevented this from happening again.”< /p>< p>Six in 10 women said they were harassed or assaulted while in Antarctica, according to a 2022 NSF report.
The Telegraph has reached out to the NSF for comment.
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