Thousands of female troops in UK military face harassment, bullying: report Xinhua | Updated: 2021-07-26 09:49
LONDON - About 64 percent of British female veterans and 58 percent of currently-serving women reported experiencing bullying, harassment and discrimination during their careers, a parliamentary report revealed Sunday.
Published by the House of Commons (lower house of the British Parliament) Defense Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, the report said there is truly shocking evidence of bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape experienced by servicewomen.
At the same time, most of the women who responded to a major survey by the committee said they did not believe the military did enough to address the problems, as six in 10 women did not report the bullying, harassment and discrimination they experienced.
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Almost two-thirds of women in the armed forces have experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination during
their career, according to a parliamentary report that says the UK military is “failing to protect” female recruits.
Heralding its inquiry into the treatment of women in the armed forces as one of the most vital in its history, the defence subcommittee said 62% of the 4,106 veterans and current female personnel who gave testimony had either witnessed or received “unacceptable behaviour”.
Examples of “truly shocking evidence” included accounts of gang rape, sex for promotion or advancement, and trophies or contests to “bag the women” on camp or on ships. Some women revealed how they were bullied for refusing sexual advances or had witnessed friends being attacked by groups of men but were too afraid to report it.
The report looked at how female members of the armed forces are treated (PA)
The armed forces are failing to help women achieve their full potential, and when things go wrong they go “dramatically wrong”, MPs have found.
The Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces received an almost unprecedented level of engagement during its inquiry, with the traumatising “horror stories” it heard painting “a difficult picture for women in the military”.
While most servicewomen and female veterans consulted (almost 90% of respondents to a survey) would recommend the armed forces as a career, more than 3,000 (around 84%) reported that female service personnel face additional challenges relative to their male counterparts.
The armed forces are failing to help women achieve their full potential, and when things go wrong they go “dramatically wrong”, MPs have found.
The Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces received an almost unprecedented level of engagement during its inquiry, with the traumatising “horror stories” it heard painting “a difficult picture for women in the military”.
While most servicewomen and female veterans consulted (almost 90% of respondents to a survey) would recommend the armed forces as a career, more than 3,000 (around 84%) reported that female service personnel face additional challenges relative to their male counterparts.
The committee’s survey found that 64% of female veterans and 58% of serving women reported experiencing bullying, harassment, discrimination (BHD) during their careers.