Health Care Settings
Sexual violence against patients in health facilities has been reported in many places. A study of physicians disciplined for sexual offences in the United States, for instance, found that the number of cases had increased from 42 in 1989 to 147 in 1996, with the proportion of all disciplinary action that was sex-related rising from 2.1% to 4.4% over the same period. This increase, though, could reflect a greater readiness to lodge complaints.
Other documented forms of sexual violence against female patients include the involvement of medical staff in the practice of clitoridectomy in Egypt, forced gynecological examinations and the threat of forced abortions in China, and inspections of virginity in Turkey. Documented forms of sexual violence against male patients include the involvement of medical staff in the practice of male genital mutilation in the United States. Sexual violence is part of the broader problem of violence against women patients perpetrated by health workers that has been reported in a large number of countries and until recently has been much neglected. Sexual harassment of female nurses by male doctors has also been reported.
Read more about this topic: Estimates Of Sexual Violence, Sexual Violence in Schools, Health Care Settings, Armed Conflicts and Refugee Settings
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