In the first weeks of the new year, one message is getting louder across very different contexts. The “white coat” is no longer a shield.
- In Ukraine, UN briefings this month highlighted how attacks don’t stop at the frontline. WHO has already reported multiple attacks on health care since 1 January, with deaths and injuries among patients and staff.
- In the UK, a BMJ report described an “appalling” scale of violence. It estimates 32 physical attacks on health staff every day in Northern Ireland (averaged over recent years).
- In Sudan, as the war reaches the 1,000-day mark, WHO reports hundreds of verified attacks on health care, with devastating human impact.
- In Iran, multiple outlets and human rights monitors have raised urgent concerns about hospital safety and medical neutrality, including reported intimidation and raids in medical settings.
The part we don’t talk about enough: “cascading failures”. When a clinic is hit, it’s not only about one building. One damaged pumping station, heating line, or ambulance route can mean thousands lose access to warmth, insulin, dialysis, emergency surgery, and basic medicines, in the worst weeks of winter. On January 21st, global experts are meeting in International Conference On Violence Prevention And Public Health (ICVPPH) in Berlin, to focus on violence prevention and public health, with the practical question that matters most: How do we protect the workforce, so the system can keep protecting patients?
We believe, “Safe Workers = Safe Care”
The “white coat” should be a symbol of care and neutrality, never a target. At BRAVE-WOW, we aim to tackle gender-based violence in the health and care sector and to uphold every worker’s right to dignity and safety. The “white coat” should protect patients and it must also be protected from violence and harassment in the workplace.