Care sector presents plan to combat sexually transgressive behavior

The care sector presented a plan to combat sexually transgressive behavior on Thursday. “Recognize, admit, discuss” is the motto of the campaign. "We want inattention to disappear forever."

According to the signees, transgressive behavior can lead to patients losing trust in the care providers. Another issue is people that who work in the care sector can lose joy in their work as a result of the incidents. Misconduct must, therefore, be addressed. Inappropriate behavior cannot be tolerated, and victims need to be heard.

But that would not be enough, the manifesto stated. The signees feel the culture has to change, and this can be done by encouraging ethical behavior so that this leads to “a psychologically and socially safe sector for care workers, patients, and clients.”

One in 11 care workers has said that they have suffered from transgressive behavior in the last year. The only other sector to have experienced this more often was the hospitality industry.

Transgressive behavior in the care sector sometimes occurs when a patient and a healthcare provider are in close contact with each other. The risks also occur when a care worker is dependent on a colleague, for example, somebody who is higher ranked and is in charge of deciding the other’s labor opportunities.

The document was drawn up with Mariette Hamer. She has been appointed as the government commissioner to combat sexually transgressive behavior and sexual violence.

Hamer said it is “incredibly important that sexually transgressive behavior is recognized by the associations and their supporters as a very urgent problem.”

More than 20 organizations signed the document. This included the doctors association, the KNMG, hospital associations NVZ and NFU, labor associations for nurses and psychiatrists, branch organizations for mental health care, elderly care, and handicapped care, and several trade unions for care workers.