The Military of Defence has published its first official survey of sexual harassment and abuse across the armed forces. The report comes weeks after reports of hundreds of women alleging sexual abuse in army medical examinations over five decades, and ex-sergeant Michael Webber was sentenced to six months in prison, after sexually assaulting 19-year-old Jaysley Beck, who killed herself in the aftermath of the assault.
The MoD survey finds two-thirds of women in the armed forces reported at least one form of sexual harassment or sexualised behaviour, while one third of men reported the same. Nearly 1 in 10 women in the British military reported they had been subjected to sexual assault or other non-consensual sexual activity in the past year, and a third said they had been groped or touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable.
21% of women said they had been sent unsolicited sexual messages, compared with 6% of men, while 42% of women had been ‘stared or leered at’, versus 9% of men.
Emma Norton, the Director of the Centre for Military Justice, said the research: “sadly reflects what all our female clients would say, which is that they are experiencing wholly disproportionate levels of sexual harassment”.
The lawyer also highlighted that, “despite experiencing all these behaviours, hardly any women actually reported or formally complained about their situation.”
A minority of women who said they had been sexually harassed or assaulted made a complaint. 12% said they had done so formally, while 20% used an informal route. 10% said they had gone to the police.
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