By Bunmi Yekini
The brutal rape and murder of a female doctor in India in August 2024, followed by the workplace rape of a Sri Lankan doctor in March 2025, have reignited concerns about the safety of women in South Asian healthcare. These tragic incidents underscore deeper structural failures and a pervasive culture of sexual harassment within medical institutions.
A recent study published in The Lancet has revealed that 58.6% of female doctors in Sri Lanka have faced sexual harassment in the workplace at some point in their careers. The study, conducted between September and October 2024, surveyed 377 female doctors registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council and working in healthcare for at least six months. The findings raise serious concerns about the prevalence of harassment and the normalization of such behavior.
Disturbing Trends in Harassment
The most common forms of sexual harassment reported were:
- Suggestive looks (50.3%)
- Sexual jokes (42.7%)
- Sexual remarks (34.7%)
More severe forms of abuse included inappropriate touching (18.3%), attempted rape (2.1%), and rape (1.32%). Alarmingly, nearly 8% of respondents reported being secretly watched in doctors’ quarters or on-call rooms.
Harassment occurred most frequently in wards (60.1%) and operating theaters (29.4%), with perpetrators spanning all levels of the healthcare hierarchy, including male colleagues, superiors, and even patients.
Normalization of Abuse
One of the most troubling aspects of The Lancet study is the extent to which female doctors internalize harassment as a “part of the female experience.” Some respondents hesitated to label inappropriate behavior as harassment, citing its widespread acceptance among their colleagues. This pseudo-normalization reflects a deeper cultural issue, where hierarchical structures and gender imbalances allow harassment to thrive unchecked.
Comparisons with India and the Need for Change
The study’s findings align with regional patterns. In India, a study found that 57% of female healthcare workers (not limited to doctors) had experienced workplace sexual harassment. However, perceptions of harassment vary widely, influencing reporting rates and shaping institutional responses.
Given these troubling statistics, The Lancet study emphasizes the urgent need for reforms, including:
- Acknowledgment of the issue by policymakers
- Education and empowerment workshops for female doctors
- Victim-friendly reporting systems that preserve confidentiality
- Institutional recognition that harassment stems from power imbalances, not victim behavior
The authors of the study stress that the time for action is now. Without urgent reforms, female doctors in Sri Lanka—and across South Asia—will continue to suffer in silence, fearing repercussions for speaking out against harassment in their own workplaces.