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I was raped in my hotel while on fieldwork in a rapidly developing country. As you can imagine this was damaging to my psychological wellbeing, leading directly to the breakdown of my marriage. I've now put it behind me, chalked it up to experience, and am still researching.

In hindsight, though, my principal mistake was staying in a cheap hotel, a decision I made because I thought my funding council would not pay for more expensive accommodation. I cannot see that my university could have done anything to prevent this situation happening.

But perhaps the research councils should consider, on a country-specific basis, what minimum accommodation cost per diem might help ensure a researcher's safety and make this sum clear to applicants.

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