Medical students report years of sexual harassment

An undergraduate student said she had been subjected to repeated sexual harassment and intimidation while studying medicine, with 30 other female students coming forward to report similar abuse.

Charlotte, 24, said she had been targeted anonymously over the phone, with others called early in the morning by men "asking them to perform sexual favours or indeed screaming gender-based slurs".

She has written an open letter to the university to request a formal review of sexism within the School of Medical Sciences.

A university spokesman said the allegations were being treated "with the utmost seriousness" and a formal investigation was under way.

Charlotte has been a student at the university for six years and her letter has more than 1,000 signatures.

She said women had received anonymous calls where they were subjected to scare tactics and sexual harassment.

"These range from telling them they are being watched, to asking them to perform sexual favours or indeed screaming gender-based slurs, all targeted to moments of vulnerability in the early hours of the morning," she wrote in the letter.

"These have been affecting women in our medical school since, at current estimate, 2023."

She said 15 women had contributed to her police report regarding the allegations of harassment prior to writing the open letter with 15 more coming forward.

"I was sexually harassed over the phone and this has been happening to women for a number of years," she said.

Charlotte, who waived her right to anonymity to speak about her case, said some women had since reported in-person harassment during their hospital placements.

"As we've gained more traction, the allegations get worse every time," she said.

"This is men saying that they've got our details from hospital systems, saying they've seen us around campus."

One former student, who did not want to be named, said she was assaulted by a consultant surgeon whilst on placement.

But, when she went to report it, she said she was told to keep quiet and that it would be the word of a student against the word of a world-renowned expert in his field.

"There's a woman like me at every university and I think there has been for well over a decade and there should be a change," Charlotte said.

"This is just unacceptable and it always has been."

It comes after thousands of students reported being victims of sexual violence and harassment in the first sector-wide survey of sexual misconduct at universities in England.

The Office for Students said one in four students who responded to the survey reported experiencing sexual harassment.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it had been made aware of the concerning reports at the University of Manchester, adding: "These incidents are appalling and have no place in medical school or education."

"This deplorable behaviour violates the rights of thousands of medical students to be safe, secure and supported whilst training to become doctors."

A recent BMA report showed that 84% of respondents believed that sexism was a problem in medical education.

Professor Ashley Blom, the university's Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, said: "The issues raised are deeply concerning, and we are treating them with the utmost seriousness.

"No member of our community should ever experience behaviour that makes them feel unsafe, intimidated or harassed.

"Our immediate priority is supporting the students affected.

"We have launched a formal investigation into the specific allegations raised, and we are also undertaking a wider review of the cultural and systemic issues identified.

"We will continue to take whatever action is necessary to address the issues identified and deliver meaningful, lasting change."

The BBC has approached Greater Manchester Police for comment.

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