Investigation Launched After Reports of Harassment
The University of Manchester has initiated an investigation following complaints from approximately 20 female medical students who reported receiving anonymous late-night phone calls from male individuals who intimidated and sexually harassed them.
These calls have reportedly been occurring for at least three years, according to Charlotte Buttercase, a final-year medical student and one of the individuals targeted.
During these calls, female students have been woken in the middle of the night and subjected to statements indicating they were being watched or asked to perform sexual favours. In other instances, callers have shouted gender-based slurs at them.
Personal Account of Harassment
Buttercase, aged 24, shared her experience:
"On April 16 I was phoned at 2am from an anonymous, no-caller ID and in a two-minute interaction I was subjected to sexually harassing comments.
Given I was alone in a dark room at 2am – it was one man speaking and three men laughing – I felt incredibly intimidated, demeaned and belittled by this event."
After discussing with fellow medical students, Buttercase learned that 16 calls were made within 22 minutes that night, and she was the fifth woman contacted. Additional students have since come forward with accounts of sexual harassment, both in person and via phone calls.
Call for Formal Review
In a letter addressed to the university’s vice-chancellor, Duncan Ivison, Buttercase urged for a formal review of what she described as a "pervasive culture of sexual harassment" within the school of medical sciences.
"If one less young woman feels unsafe in her own home, feels less alone in experiencing these attempts to intimidate and belittle her, then we have succeeded," she wrote.
Context of Sexual Harassment in Higher Education
Research indicates that a significant proportion of students endure sexual harassment during their time at university or college. A study of undergraduates found that students at England’s leading universities were more than twice as likely to experience sexual harassment compared to those at "lower tariff" institutions.
The Office for Students, England’s higher education regulator, conducted research that also identified hotspots of sexual harassment and sexual assault or violence among students enrolled in courses with high entry requirements, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary sciences, or languages.
Responses from Medical and University Officials
In response to the Manchester case, the British Medical Association (BMA) medical students committee co-chairs, Henry Budden and Elgan Manton-Roseblade, stated:
"These incidents are appalling and have no place in medical school or education. This deplorable behaviour violates the rights of thousands of medical students to be safe, secure and supported whilst training to become doctors.
The BMA are committed to working with the students at Manchester leading the campaign and, through them, Manchester medical school, and with national stakeholders to support ongoing efforts to eliminate all forms of sexual violence towards medical students across the country."
Professor Ashley Blom, vice-president and dean of the faculty of biology, medicine and health, described the issues raised as "deeply concerning" and assured they would be addressed with the "utmost seriousness."
"No member of our community should ever experience behaviour that makes them feel unsafe, intimidated or harassed," he said. "Our immediate priority is supporting the students affected. We have launched a formal investigation into the specific allegations raised, and we are also undertaking a wider review of the cultural and systemic issues identified.
We will continue to take whatever action is necessary to address the issues identified and deliver meaningful, lasting change. We know that our students and colleagues must have confidence that concerns will be listened to, taken seriously and acted upon."
