Re: Nearly a third of female surgeons have been sexually assaulted by a colleague, survey finds
Dear Editor
The anger is real. The outrage is real. The pain is real. The legacy for the survivors is all too real.
Behind the shocking and damning statistics exposed in this report lies individual human beings. Doctors who have had to navigate the minefield of daily triggers to their trauma. From aggressive and dominating behaviours of those in a position of power over their career progression, to the courage required to stand in empathy with patients who themselves have experienced abuse, the triggers to such trauma are unremitting. Sadly the acknowledgment of this has been largely non-existing.
The relative silence around this issue until now speaks volumes about the culture of misogyny and prejudice that exists and has allowed such sickening behaviour to become the perpetual elephant in the room. All too often our colleagues who have been the target of such behaviours have either left the profession, or struggled on in silence, made to believe that the burden of shame is somehow placed firmly on their shoulders. Simultaneously the onus is placed on the survivor to not only survive but thrive and progress in their career and by doing so somehow prove their worth, their resilience, their toughness, their right to exist within the profession. Ignore the trauma. Be tough. Be silent. Survive.
I started this letter by saying that the anger is real and the outrage is real. Our empathy must also burn with the same passion. The conversations sparked by this report are far overdue. But there needs to be more than conversation. There needs to be change. This starts by acknowledging how triggering such conversations can be. Survivors need to feel empowered to speak their truth in places of safety. Royal colleges, training bodies, organisations representing doctors all need to go beyond rightful condemnation of such behaviours to acknowledge the human cost contained within these statistics and actively address and reach out to the survivors. Acts as simple as opening helplines or placing links to organisations offering advice and counselling services on their websites and social media platforms are by no means a solution but they could be a small step in the right direction.
Finally, to any survivors reading this, please known that the shame is not yours to carry. You are worthy. We as a profession must do better.
Rapid Response:
Re: Nearly a third of female surgeons have been sexually assaulted by a colleague, survey finds
Dear Editor
The anger is real. The outrage is real. The pain is real. The legacy for the survivors is all too real.
Behind the shocking and damning statistics exposed in this report lies individual human beings. Doctors who have had to navigate the minefield of daily triggers to their trauma. From aggressive and dominating behaviours of those in a position of power over their career progression, to the courage required to stand in empathy with patients who themselves have experienced abuse, the triggers to such trauma are unremitting. Sadly the acknowledgment of this has been largely non-existing.
The relative silence around this issue until now speaks volumes about the culture of misogyny and prejudice that exists and has allowed such sickening behaviour to become the perpetual elephant in the room. All too often our colleagues who have been the target of such behaviours have either left the profession, or struggled on in silence, made to believe that the burden of shame is somehow placed firmly on their shoulders. Simultaneously the onus is placed on the survivor to not only survive but thrive and progress in their career and by doing so somehow prove their worth, their resilience, their toughness, their right to exist within the profession. Ignore the trauma. Be tough. Be silent. Survive.
I started this letter by saying that the anger is real and the outrage is real. Our empathy must also burn with the same passion. The conversations sparked by this report are far overdue. But there needs to be more than conversation. There needs to be change. This starts by acknowledging how triggering such conversations can be. Survivors need to feel empowered to speak their truth in places of safety. Royal colleges, training bodies, organisations representing doctors all need to go beyond rightful condemnation of such behaviours to acknowledge the human cost contained within these statistics and actively address and reach out to the survivors. Acts as simple as opening helplines or placing links to organisations offering advice and counselling services on their websites and social media platforms are by no means a solution but they could be a small step in the right direction.
Finally, to any survivors reading this, please known that the shame is not yours to carry. You are worthy. We as a profession must do better.
Competing interests: No competing interests