Two-thirds of women in UK military have been sexually harassed in past year, survey finds

"Nearly one in 10 women serving in the British military have been subjected to an assault or other non-consensual sexual activity in the previous year, according to the first official survey of sexual harassment across the armed forces. A third said they had been groped or touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, according to the Ministry of Defence, and two-thirds reported at least one form of sexual harassment or sexualised behaviour,"

"Louise Sandher-Jones, minister for people at the Ministry of Defence, said the results were wholly unacceptable and would act as a baseline to fully confront and address the root causes of this issue. Specialist teams will now be deployed at the army training garrison in Catterick, North Yorkshire, and at the Plymouth naval base to tackle the unacceptable sexual behaviours highlighted. Similar intervention schemes are planned for other military locations, including at the Akrotiri base in Cyprus, from next year."

"Britain's military has been hit by a string of rape, assault and sexual harassment scandals in recent years, including at Royal Navy's submarine service, RAF's Red Arrows display team and in multiple units at the British army. A former army sergeant major was sentenced to six months in jail in October for sexually assaulting Jaysley Beck, a 19-year-old soldier, in July 2021. Beck killed herself after senior officers failed to properly investigate the attack."

Nearly one in ten women serving in the British military reported being subjected to assault or other non-consensual sexual activity in the previous year. Sixty-seven percent of women across the regular forces experienced at least one form of sexual harassment or sexualised behaviour in the past 12 months, compared with 34% of men. Eight percent of female personnel reported non-consensual sexual activity in the past year, compared with 1% of men. Specialist teams will be deployed at Catterick and Plymouth, with similar schemes planned including at Akrotiri. The military has faced multiple rape, assault and harassment scandals in recent years.

Read at www.theguardian.com