Reckoning season has arrived for wrongdoers, as the #MeToo movement has successfully purged professional circles in Hollywood along with the publishing, music and fashion industries. However, as National Geographic suggested just last month, it appears that the science world has yet to have a similar moment.

Rest assured, though, that the relative quietude from the science, technology, engineering and mathematics communities isn’t for lack of misdeeds in those respective arenas. In fact, a recent report by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine insists that sexual misconduct within the ranks of STEM professionals is singlehandedly and significantly impeding the progress made by women in these fields.

The report, titled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, outlined multiple reasons why the STEM communities are in dire need of a purging. For the study, NASEM sought the expertise of policy experts, university researchers and STEM professionals who provided feedback on their experience with sexual harassment. The findings confirm that sexual harassment in science is rampant: Of the 40 women in academia interviewed, half reported physical abuse.

A survey from the University of Texas yielded even more disturbing results: “Twenty percent of female undergraduate and graduate science students, more than a quarter of female engineering students, and more than 40 percent of medical students have experienced sexual harassment by the faculty and staff they work with,” according to a breakdown from Vox. The academy also revealed that the academic workplace has a 58 percent rate of sexual harassment, second only to the military.

Furthermore, the report states that sexual harassment occurs at a higher rate among women of color and LGBTQ people, a fact confirmed by a previous American Scientist overview of harassment in the science industry.

“A survey of 474 astronomers that Kathryn Clancy and others published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets indicates that 40 percent of women astronomers of color and 27 percent of white women astronomers reported feeling unsafe in the workplace because of their gender or sex, and 28 percent of women of color reported feeling unsafe as a result of their race,” American Scientist reported. “However, most white male respondents were unaware of their colleagues’ experiences, a result that points to a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed.”

“Twenty percent of female undergraduate and graduate science students, more than a quarter of female engineering students, and more than 40 percent of medical students have experienced sexual harassment by the faculty and staff.”

Arguably, the quickest (albeit extremely difficult) method of broaching the problem is public accountability, a tactic that appears to be gaining traction in the STEM community. In 2016, former University of Chicago molecular biologist Dr. Jason Lieb resigned in the wake of claims that he made unwelcome sexual advances to multiple female grad students and even had sex with a student who was “incapacitated due to alcohol and therefore could not consent,” The New York Times reported.

In May, esteemed cancer scientist and geneticist Inder Verma left his post as editor-in-chief of academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences after eight women accused him of sexual harassment between 1976 and 2016. Despite being referred to as an “ally of women in science,” celebrated Australian statistician Terry Speed was found guilty of violating policy by harassing a postdoctoral researcher and former mentee. Aside from the ruling, no further action was taken by the university. Another incident that further illustrates the absence of accountability is the case of Dr. Florian Jaeger, a University of Rochester professor who faced extensive sexual harassment accusations, but has continued to receive government funding despite the allegations.

Furthermore, independent efforts are being made by organizations like 500 Women Scientists, a group that vows to end harassment and gender-based discrimination by pushing for policy change, speaking up to support accusers, reporting incidences of sexual harassment, refusing to work with sexist colleagues and challenging male allies to step up to the plate.

Overall, the NASEM’s accounts of sexual harassment in the science industry are as sobering as anyone can expect, given the fact that 81 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment. Fortunately, the report also includes 14 recommendations to eradicate harmful behavior, prioritize accountability and rectify inadequate policies that make it possible for sexual harassment to thrive.

For those wondering when the inevitable clash between the #MeToo movement and the STEM world will take place, one could argue that it already has. While we’re preoccupied with finding solutions, we have to avoid contributing to the same dismissive cycle that landed us here in the first place, which is turning a blind eye to what’s happening right in front of us.