Alicia
"I want to tell other women in similar situations that this is not their fault, don’t let that situation consume you."
"My name is Alicia and I am from Brazil but I’ve been living in Ireland for four years. I am a caregiver, I take my job very seriously and I treat all my patients with respect and dignity.
"Unfortunatly I have been experiencing sexual harassment from my male patients. These are elderly men with physical disabilities and mobility issues but they have full mental capability. They are fully aware of what they are doing.
"One day I was showering a patient when he inappropriately touched my legs. I immediately made myself very clear that he was never to touch me or do anything like that ever again. He dismissed my request and said that it all was just a taboo. I complained to my manager who told me and other female caregivers not to look after that patient without a male caregiver. The problem is that there are very few male caregivers working with us. The patient had no consequences, not even a verbal warning. I didn’t move forward with this case, I was worried about losing my job and getting bad references, it could affect my career. Also, I knew nothing would be done.
"Caregivers have to follow so many rules of proper behaviour, but there are no rules for patients, or at least they are not strictly followed. When I was studying for my caregiver qualifications there was so much information about protecting patients from abuse, but there was nothing about protecting caregivers from abusive patients. I want employers to provide safer working conditions, I want employers to support women who are sexually harassed by male patients.
"I want to tell other women in similar situations that this is not their fault, don’t let that situation consume you."
Migrant women are significantly overrepresented in the caregiving sector. They also report a higher rate of labour exploitation and harassment, including sexual harassment. Migrant women deserve a safe working environment where they can perform their duties with dignity and respect. If you are affected by these issues contact the Migrant Rights Centre for free and confidential advice.
Visit our Gender-based violence campaign to learn more about this issue and find available supports.
Please note that to protect her identity, we have used a different name and photograph.