The American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to all its constituents supporting workplaces and educational settings free of sexual harassment. The purpose of this statement is to heighten awareness and sensitivity to this important issue, recognizing that institutions may have existing policies.
Research supports the significance of the problem in the medical education setting.
The incidence of male physicians experiencing sexual harassment is unreported. Sexual harassment in the workplace and in educational settings creates an environment that demeans people and has a negative impact on individual performance and effectiveness as well as organizational productivity and unit morale. As sensitivity to this complex issue has been recently heightened, there exists much confusion, even about exactly what constitutes sexual harassment, as well as about modalities appropriate for dealing with the problem. It is incumbent on employers, organizations, and institutions to represent all their constituents, male and female, and provide education and guidance to facilitate eradication of this destructive behavior. In particular, medical schools and training programs must be aware of the prevalence of the problem and have action plans available.