GKT British Medical Association (BMA), GKT Ladies Hockey and KCL Women in Surgery have published an open letter to King’s College London (KCL), GKT School of Medical Education (GKT) and KCLSU alleging “complicity in sexual violence against women and girls”.
In an open letter regarding “the misogyny, sexual harassment and assault that GKT medical students experience”, the three societies detailed disturbing testimonies of sexual harassment, assault and stalking within student societies and during clinical placements.
The letter, addressed to Professor Nicki Cohen, Vice Chancellor Shitij Kapur and the senior leadership of GKT, KCL and KCLSU, claimed female students were “stuck in an institution that refuses to call out and condemn this behaviour and have felt ignored, intimidated and afraid to challenge a system that is seemingly ingrained into our medical school and university.”
GKT BMA told Roar:
“Our letter reveals glaring systemic failures at all levels, from the lack of teaching on gender- based violence, to students feeling too intimidated to report that they’ve been assaulted.”
In a survey conducted by the student groups, 73.1% of respondents reported having witnessed or experienced misogyny, sexual harassment or sexual assault at GKT and KCL. In addition, 50.7% of students surveyed felt that the handling of misogyny and sexual harassment was inadequate, with 65.7% unaware of how to report related incidents.
Testimonies featured within the letter detail a range of alleged incidents experienced by female students, including groping within Guy’s Bar, online abuse and misogyny during clinical placements.
One student, who reported being groped twice by a male student, claims KCLSU never contacted them about the matter despite two requests from Guy’s Bar staff.
The letter suggests a systemic failure on behalf of the university to adequately support victims through the complaints procedure.
As one student noted:
“The issue at hand is that if you do make a complaint, it is dealt with on a case-by-case basis, and the way that it is dealt with is opaque. This does not leave any room to combat a wider rape culture.”
The authors of the letter demanded immediate action, including sexual harassment response training for staff, a transparent reporting system with strict timeframes and accessible support for survivors.
Within the letter, the authors stressed the importance of the initiative:
“If GKT, KCL, and KCLSU continue to disregard these experiences, they are complicit in upholding a culture where misogyny remains unchecked.”
The students noted that GKT has not signed the NHS Sexual Safety Charter, which focuses on adopting a zero-tolerance approach to unwanted, inappropriate or harmful sexual behaviours.
“GKT needlessly wields ‘professionalism’ over non-issues such as surveys and feedback, yet they are noticeably subpar in their response to sexual harassment and assault,” the letter claims.
GKT BMA told Roar:
“As a group of medical students, we’ve witnessed a disturbing culture that allows misogyny and sexual violence to go unchecked at GKT, KCL, and KCLSU. Female medical students in particular are uniquely affected, as it’s often unclear whether GKT or KCL are responsible for supporting us, especially if we are assaulted whilst on placement. Our letter reveals glaring systemic failures at all levels, from the lack of teaching on gender-based violence, to students feeling too intimidated to report that they’ve been assaulted. This poor handling by staff has tainted many students’ university experiences, leaving them disheartened and traumatised. We decided to draw attention to this issue as we have yet to see any meaningful action being taken by our senior leaders, and we’re calling on them to do better.”
KCLSU confirmed to Roar it would now be investigating the incidents at Guy’s Bar raised in the letter.
Currently, all KCL Students must pass the KCL Consent Matters training course before enrolment.
GKT Ladies Hockey team have previously attempted to address the alleged ‘rape culture’ within GKT and KCL, with an event held last October bringing sports teams together to raise awareness on the issue.
The letter reflects sexual harassment persisting as a pressing societal issue, even after Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) was declared a national emergency in the UK last June.
The British Medical Association revealed 91% of female doctors in the UK have experienced sexism at work, alongside the 97% of women aged 18-24 who experience sexual harassment.
KCL declined to comment.
Students can add their signature to the open letter here.
Support on any of the issues raised can be found: KCL Support, Safe Line.
