The findings of the report by Begeny et al published in the BJS are deeply shocking. The scale of the problem is daunting and that anyone should experience sexual harassment, sexual assault, or rape at their place of work is an outrage. The findings that women are disproportionately affected are also deeply worrying, but sadly, won't be surprising to many. We're grateful to the authors for undertaking this important and robust work, and to the many surgeons who have shared their experiences to help others.
The first line of the report opens with 'Sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape, referred to as sexual misconduct are unacceptable.'. This ought to be self-evident, but clearly much more needs to be done and we're truly sorry that our friends and colleagues should suffer in these ways. There must be zero tolerance for sexual misconduct, we must do better. We support calls for reform of investigative processes so that victims of sexual misconduct can have confidence in them.
On behalf of the AUGIS Council, AUGIS Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee