A study initiated by the Ministry of Health provides an estimate of the extent of the serious phenomenon. The most common attacks on women were looks, belittling and disparaging statements and requests to undress.
Only 7% of the women who were harmed in the health system saw a prominent advertisement regarding the existence of a person in charge of preventing sexual harassment in the place where the harm took place. The study is part of a series of steps to eradicate the phenomenon and is one of the first to be done in health systems in the world. The Ministry is working to promote legislation with the aim of granting powers to the ministry of Health for strict enforcement and treatment against any medical professional who harms another person on a sexual basis. In addition, ways will be examined to raise awareness of filing complaints. The study was conducted at the request of the steering committee on behalf of the Ministry of Health, headed by Anat Leichter, head of the department of sexual harassment, and supervised by Prof Rachel Niinholz-Ganot.