They became doctors to heal patients, but ended up falling victim to sexual harassment in the hospital. From crude jokes cracked by all-powerful surgeons in the operating room, to sexual extortion and assaults endured during their training and careers - female medical students, doctors, and surgeons blow the whistle on the abuses they suffer, in a field where silence mostly prevails over denunciation. Non-consensual groping, sexual blackmail, repeated humiliations: some, like Emmanuelle, were driven to the brink of suicide, while others had to turn away from medicine. Despite prevention campaigns, the perpetrators, often influential surgeons, largely get off scot-free. How to change the paradigm so that shame finally changes sides?
Wenn Ärztinnen zu Opfern werden

Filming Locations
French-speaking Switzerland (sexual harassment in hospitals).
Lausanne, CHUV (prevention policy, cases of disciplinary action, mandatory course for students).
Valais, Sierre (abuse/mistreatment in the operating room).

Main Contributors
Emmanuelle, Léa, Julie, medical residents, victims of sexual assault or harassment.
Barbara Wildhaber, Professor and Head of the Pediatric Surgery Department at HUG, victim of harassment.
David Sadler, lawyer specializing in defending victims of hospital harassment.
Joëlle Schwartz, head of prevention courses at the University of Lausanne.

Key Themes 
Systemic sexual harassment and the culture of silence in hospitals.
Impunity of harassing doctors who are protected by hospital management despite zero-tolerance policies.
Consequences for victims: career abandonment, depression, feelings of humiliation, and lasting trauma.

Key Figures
Less than 16% of department head physician positions at the CHUV are held by women.
Nearly one in two female medical students is exposed to sexual harassment.
One in ten doctors leaves the profession prematurely due to untenable working conditions in hospitals.

Quotes
Emmanuelle: "I felt like I was either a whore or their maid."
Julie: "You realize that you are losing your specialty, and that what you came to with sparks in your eyes is disappearing."