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Read women’s stories

Read our featured HealthToo stories from women health workers who have been subject to Sexual Expoitation, Abuse and Harassment at work. These stories have been shared anonymously by women from right across the world, demonstrating how widespread and universal this problem is. We thank them for their strength and courage in stepping forward to put their story on record so that we can work to introduce policies that better protect them.

November 23, 2022

Sexual Exploitation: Story from a Doctor From Africa

When I was still a medical student I went to consult an ear, nose, and throat specialist in my hospital. He was an old man, well known in the medical world. After the first consultation, when I was in the company of another doctor, he offered me ano…

November 23, 2022

Sexual Harassment: Story from Researcher from Africa

I was a Junior Researcher in a health organization and loved what I did. I got along with my boss fine and found him to be a respectful gentleman. He has a wife and kids and is well respected. Then an opening for a senior role came up, and I asked h…

November 23, 2022

Sexual Harassment: Story of a Doctor from Europe

During my first day of work on a surgical rotation, I was introduced to the Vice-Director of the department, a very outspoken man in his sixties. One time, he came behind me during a ward visit and undid my white coat (which had the buttons in the b…

November 23, 2022

Sexual Harassment: Story of a Medical Student From the Americas Region

While I was a medical student doing a rotation at a public hospital in Mexico City, I had a family problem that led me to be absent for four days. When I got back to the hospital, the attending physician asked me to join him for a private conversati…

November 23, 2022

Sexual Abuse: Story From a Surgeon From Africa

I was a junior general practitioner and having completed assisting a surgery, I went to the changing room. Another male general practitioner came in at the same time and started to undress in front of me. It was a tiny room, with no curtains or divi…

November 23, 2022

Sexual Harassment: Story from a Community Health Worker From Asia

I was not a very literate person when I started this work, but I learned many new things. I started to understand about mental health. The work I was doing exposed me to lots of different health facilities. My colleagues and I used to go to various…

October 26, 2022

Sexual Abuse: Story from a Health Policy Worker in Africa

For a capacity-building program, there was a conference in a city outside my own and we made a trip. He was a senior colleague and one night I stayed behind with him and others at the workshop venue after the program was over. We had dinner and were…

October 26, 2022

Sexual Harassment: Story of a Pharmacist from the African Region

Hospital driver got inappropriate when I was called back to the hospital at midnight to issue anesthesia meds to a patient that needed emergency surgery. I had to fight him while he wanted to touch me in the wrong places. It was dark and there was n…

October 26, 2022

Sexual Harassment: Story of a resident doctor from Asia

At the same time, I faced another couple of ordeals at the hands of a relative of a paediatric patient, who continued to stalk me for the entire 3-year residency period, starting from the first! This guy would leave unwanted letters, presents, and m…

October 26, 2022

Sexual Abuse: A story of a nurse from Africa

So this new doctor was posted to my unit and from the word go used to stare at me in weird ways. He would wink at me and seemed nervous when he’s on rounds and I passed by. I complained of hunger one day and he went like, ” You’re enough for breakfa…