Female troops in war zones face the highest risk of sexual assault and harassment from their own colleagues, a report has found.
The study of 750 women veterans, published in the British Medical Journal, found almost a quarter were victims of what they called Military Sexual Trauma, such as harassment, assault or bullying.
It said many developed post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or had become suicidal.
And almost 70% had suffered some form of unwanted sexual behaviour by male colleagues. It said: “Younger women, those holding rank as officer and those in combat-related roles may be most at risk of military adversity, including sexual trauma, emotional bullying and physical assault.”
It also found victims often failed to report abuse fearing it would harm their career.
Last week General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, told MPs that the forces needed a “fundamental cultural shift” to tackle the bullying of women in the services, and called the level of abuse “truly shocking”.
Giving evidence to the Commons Defence Committee, he acknowledged the forces encouraged a “laddish culture” so soldiers were prepared to get “close and personal” with the enemy. The disclosures come after retired Lt Col Diane Allen, 56, told the Sunday People in April that the forces were run by “a toxic group of privately educated white senior officers” who were “in denial about the problem”.
Another former Royal Artillery captain who served in Afghanistan, aged 36, told us she quit fearing she would be attacked or raped.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, said officers who failed to deal with sexual assault should be sacked.
He added: “Sexual discrimination and, even worse, assault is as intolerable in the Armed Forces as in the rest of society.”
The MoD said the report in the BMJ “echoes other evidence we have been aware of”.
It added: “We take allegations seriously.”
