Both cover very different crimes, yet illustrate similar systemic problems. And though the incidents occurred in the U.S., these issues can be found all over the world, in every part of society.
Farrow's book, which traces his investigation of Harvey Weinstein's sexual predation, isn't an easy read for various reasons.
At 400 pages, it's meticulously detailed and peppered with names of numerous people, making it difficult to track at times.
However, it also accurately reflects the huge obstacles Farrow faced and how much determination it took to keep going and make sure the victims were heard.
What struck me most was the extent of Weinstein's reach and how top executives at NBC chose to shut Farrow's work down despite knowing about the hard evidence he had. Fortunately, the press is much less easily intimidated, and Weinstein was eventually exposed by multiple newspapers.
Victims' accounts are scattered throughout the book and nothing short of harrowing. Weinstein's behaviour is despicable, but what really stand out are his overwhelming sense of entitlement and the sheer number of enablers around him who were no less complicit in the assaults.
There's a brief mention about famed news anchor Matt Lauer - also from NBC. One encounter with a junior staff member started with drinks at the hotel bar and an exchange of playful messages, before escalating quickly to rape and sodomy.
Men always claim that women were coming on to them, giving them all the right signals, etc. Let's be clear: when she tells you to stop and you don't, it's a crime.
I've also had my share of sexual harassment episodes.
The first one happened when I was 19 and working as a temp at a public hospital's specialist outpatient clinic. A young surgeon made a sexual reference while I was handling some medical equipment, flashing me a lewd grin. I'm surprised I managed to stay poker-faced even though we were completely alone in the room and he was standing right next to me.
This a-hole is now a head of department at the same hospital. Bleah.
The second occurred during a tutorial with a senior surgeon at another public hospital. This time, I was with my clinical group so there were 6 of us present. The surgeon made multiple off colour jokes about me, my fellow female CG mate and different body parts. We just sat there and endured the ordeal for an hour, and didn't even consider lodging a complaint with the department or hospital.
When we mentioned the incident to other people, they just laughed and replied, "Oh, he's known for being like that."
Sound familiar?
The third incident occurred at my former department, where a senior ( and married ) colleague sent me flirtatious SMSes with inappropriate content like an invitation to have coffee and the remark "Anything for you". He even had the cheek to tell me his wife blew up when she saw the messages in his phone and threatened to come to the office to confront me.
First of all, I can't believe how dumb his wife is to not see who's actually at fault here. Second, my standards are too high for me to have any interest in him. Third, I have principles and married men are completely off limits.
So glad I don't have to interact with him anymore, yuck.
There've been many other examples but those occurred outside the workplace. Suffice to say, I deeply sympathize with all women who've been the subject of unwanted attention, especially if molest or rape was involved. Too many times, such crimes go unreported or aren't pursued fully because victims fear repercussions and public scrutiny, or worse, because those in charge turn a blind eye.
There used to be a culture of tolerance towards such behaviour at our local tertiary institutions, until one brave soul chose to reveal her identity and speak up against it. I applaud you, Monica Baey!
Moving on to The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez, an excellent documentary series that covers the murder of an 8-year-old boy, and the preceding abuse that was left unchecked by multiple agencies including social services and the police.
It highlights many deep-seated problems ranging from dysfunctional families in the low socio-economic class and social workers' unmanageable case loads, to falsifying records and law enforcement's inertia.
As rightly pointed out, there were many opportunities to intervene and save Gabriel, but he kept falling through the cracks in the system.
The descriptions of the abuse he suffered are heartbreaking. Examples include teeth that were knocked out when his mother hit his mouth with a baseball bat; severe bruising of the face with conjunctival haemorrhages ( bleeding in the sclera of the eyes ); being handcuffed, gagged and locked in a small cupboard with no food or toilet access; being forced to eat cat faeces and litter.
It's unfathomable how anyone can even treat an animal this way, never mind a child. This is pure evil at work.
( Remember the recent case in Singapore where a 5-year-old boy also died after being severely abused? Read the details here.
If you hate your child so much, isn't it better to give him/her to a relative, or just put him/her up for adoption? )
Following public outcry, politicians and agency leaders moved to improve the social services network. However, only 2 weeks later, a 10-year-old boy died under similar circumstances, and an investigation found that the mandated changes were never carried out.
Although this series is primarily about child abuse, the issues it highlights can be applied in any setting, including healthcare.
I've lost count of the number of times other colleagues - including those much more senior than I am - endangered patients by taking shortcuts, not reviewing cases thoroughly or being just plain incompetent. What's worse is how those at the top routinely pretend such things don't exist and allow them to continue, penalizing those who dare to speak up.
As the saying goes: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Here endeth my rant. Till next time...
