Male assault victim feels unsupported by employer

Jamie Keegan, a 28-year-old from South Dublin, shared his struggle as a male survivor of sexual assault. Keegan felt unsupported by his employer, Children Health Ireland (CHI), following an incident that occurred during a night shift in May 2023. He believes that if he were a woman, his case would have been taken more seriously. The assault happened on a children's ward, where a colleague, Joseph Cooney, exposed himself and sexually assaulted Keegan while a patient’s mother witnessed the act. Cooney was later sentenced to nine months in jail for his actions. Keegan reported the incident, but he states that police were only called ten hours later. After the assault, Keegan felt discouraged from seeking counseling and was not kept informed about the hospital's investigation. He returned to work a week later but left two months after that due to the overwhelming stress and lack of support. He has since found a job outside of healthcare and has not received any compensation or apology from CHI. Keegan expressed his belief that better handling of the incident could have allowed him to continue working in a field he loved. He stressed that the response to male victims needs improvement. Rape Crisis Ireland highlighted that many adult male survivors feel isolated after such incidents. A representative from CHI stated they take staff safety seriously but did not comment on individual cases. Keegan is now preparing legal action against CHI for compensation and loss of earnings.