The story of the allegations of sexual misconduct by the famous palaeoanthropologist was covered on 9 February in a lengthy investigative piece in the high-profile journal  Science, and led to a short follow-up piece as the story unfolded.(http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/02/online-petition-aims-unite-researchers-against-sexual-harassment). 

Associate Professor Ackermann has long been concerned about sexual misconduct and gender-bias in science, topics which have received considerable international attention in recent months. It is well known that sexual misconduct and gender-bias continue to be major impediments to women’s advancement in science and equal representivity at all levels in institutions both nationally and abroad.  She encourages researchers at UCT to become more engaged in these issues, to be more cognizant of their own behaviours and that of their colleagues, and to encourage anyone who experiences unsolicited sexual advances or other sexually inappropriate behaviour or language in classroom, laboratory or field sites to seek assistance and report this conduct to UCT’s discrimination and harassment office (DISCHO; http://www.uct.ac.za/services/discho/).