You’d think that by 2004, the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace would be a matter for history books. Unfortunately, as Monday’s cover story (Bad Medicine, Feb. 23) reported, the problem is alive and quite well, even in places you’d least expect it.
Loralyn Benoit was sexually harassed by a co-worker while she was a grad student in Immunology at Princess Margaret Hospital-a part of the University Health Network (UHN). After the co-worker refused to stop when she asked, she reported the harassment to employers. But instead of being met with reasonable concern, Benoit was met with disbelief and misunderstanding. When she suffered subsequent emotional difficulties as a result of the harassment, the problem only increased, and her academic goals, and her career, were jeopardized.
And this is not the first time this has happened-Monday’s article also briefly mentioned another harassment incident involving a student, also at the UHN.
The question is not whether or not harassment should occur. We know it shouldn’t, but it’s a simple fact of life that there will always be people who can’t seem to control their behavior.
But when harassment does occur, it’s not unreasonable to expect employers to do something about it-or at least to investigate the matter seriously, without treating the victim like a perpetrator. This should be true anywhere, but it should be particularly true in a teaching hospital, which should be leading the community when it comes to conduct in the workplace. By failing to handle the matter appropriately the UHN is inviting further incidents.
