Guidance for Individuals Affected by Sexual Misconduct

Or in this case… be listened to.

You may or may not wish to make a formal report about the behaviour you have received, however, just discussing what has happened with a trusted friend, colleague or mentor can really help you start to make sense of what has happened and share your burden.

You will be believed.

You will not be judged.

You may wish to discuss how you can be supported, you may wish to consider any actions you could take, you might need to consider if others need protecting from similar harm.

You do not need to face this issue alone. Friends, family and colleagues may be able to offer you support, however discussing such very personal issues with people you know can be very difficult. There are many professional organisations who can support you:

There is a spectrum of actions that may be appropriate for you to take varying from immediate reporting of a rape to the police to keeping notes in case there is a pattern of behaviour that would cause you to act at a later date.

• Build up a picture of what is going on by keeping a note of dates and times of each incident; what happened and what was said. Keeping a log can show you and other people that you are experiencing a pattern of behaviour. One incident on its own may seem ‘trivial’ but small things which happen every day have a cumulative effect.
• Note any friends or witnesses who saw what happened or the effect on you.
• If you go to your GP, a counsellor or other service because of the harassment then make a note of this too.
• Keep copies of any texts or emails the harasser sends to you; screenshots of any social media and web-based incidents; and photos, for example of any stalking behaviour. Find out how to take a screenshot from the device you are using (phone, pc, mac, android).

Depending on the circumstances you may wish to take more direct action.

• If the person is simply unaware of the effect they are having, you may be able to get them to stop by telling them to do so. Let them know that it is not right; you do not want their attention; and dislike their behaviour. You could ask someone else to do this for you such as a trusted colleague. You could also put this in writing (keep a copy).
• Check out workplace policies covering, for example, sexual harassment/violence at work, health and safety at work, dignity at work, equal opportunities/gender equality, grievance and disciplinary procedures. Many organisations have formal procedures for dealing with sexual harassment. These documents describe the procedures and the steps to take.
• If informal methods do not work or are not safe to try, you may have to make a formal complaint to your employer.
• You could report the perpetrator to the police. If someone touches you on an intimate part of your body, this is a sexual assault. If someone is following you outside work, or harassing you through calls, texts or emails this could be defined as stalking if there are two or more incidents causing you to feel fear and alarm. Sexual assault and stalking are criminal offences.
• You may feel it is appropriate to report to the GMC or Nursing and Midwifery Council if the perpetrator is a registered  professional.