Sexual misconduct in the British military is unwanted sexual behaviour occurring in military organisations of the United Kingdom, including verbal and physical harassment, assault, and rape. As of 2021, official surveys indicate that between 15% and 25% of British armed forces personnel experience sexual harassment at least once per year. The experience of 'particularly upsetting' incidents is more common among women, particularly in the army, where 35% of female soldiers said in 2021 they had had such an experience in the previous 12 months. Women targeted tend to be young and of low rank. In 2021, 22 trainees at the Army Foundation College for recruits aged 16–17 were victims of recorded sexual offences. In the same year, 37 girls aged under 18 across the armed forces were victims of sexual offences. Other groups at high risk include members of local cadet forces, the intimate partners of personnel, and wartime detainees. The large majority of perpetrators are men. Risk factors typical of military settings include the young age of personnel, the minority status of women, hierarchical power relationships, the predominance of traditionally masculine values and behaviours, and a heavy drinking culture. Prevalent harassment in the UK armed forces specifically has been associated with a culture that demeans women and other marginalised social groups, and with senior leaders who engage in misconduct themselves or fail to challenge it in others. The rates of formal complaint are low, largely due to distrust in the chain of command. The conviction rate for serious sexual offences in the military justice system is also markedly lower than that in the civilian system. Traumatic sexual misconduct has been found to increase the risk of stress-related mental health problems including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Context Sexual misconduct, including harassment and assault, is a pervasive problem in militaries worldwide. It affects women disproportionately, particularly younger women and girls. Other groups at high risk include partners of personnel, child cadets, and military detainees. While prevalence varies by country, military branch, and other factors, official statistics and peer-reviewed studies from Canada, France, the UK, and the US indicate that between a quarter and a third of military women in these countries are sexually harassed at work at least once each year. Military training settings are characterised by a particularly high level of sexual harassment and assault relative to both the civilian population and other military settings. Research further shows an increase in perpetration during and after deployment on military operations.
Definitions Following the Equality Act 2010, sexual harassment is defined by the British armed forces as 'unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of violating someone's dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them'. Such misconduct includes generalised, untargeted behaviours, such as jokes about rape, as well as behaviours focused on individuals, such as unwanted touching, sexual coercion, assault, and rape.
Examples 'A friend was out on an exercise when a group of men ducked her head in a bucket of water and each time she came up for breath she had to repeat "I am useless and I am a female". She told the story and said it was a joke but I could see she was upset.' Female soldier, 2006. 'The lads just get drunk and go down the corridors trying to open any doors that are unlocked. The Chain of Command blame it on the individual saying they should just lock their door.' Female soldier, 2020. 'I have experienced an overwhelming culture of covering up/denying incidents of harassment... Many of the women I have served with have opted to leave/become medically downgraded as a consequence of their treatment.' Female submariner, 2021 'K reported a rape... Her assailant was charged. She described being ostracised and bullied within her unit following her formal report. Her chain of command made her the subject of an individual order restricting her ability to socialise with males (as far as she knows, no similar orders were made against males in her unit). She was in due course severely punished for a brief breach of the order.' Case description, 2021.
After army Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement reported that she had been raped by two colleagues at her base in Germany in 2009, the coroner found that the bullying she received afterwards materially contributed to her decision to end her life two years later. As reported in The Guardian, the coroner concluded that the rape and the army's subsequent inaction had 'deeply and permanently affected' Ellement, and that the bullying she experienced afterwards was a factor in her decision to end her life.
Impact The experience of being targeted by sexual misconduct is typically traumatic. Canadian and US research has found that it increases the risk of stress-related mental illness, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research in the US found that when sexual abuse of female military personnel was psychiatrically traumatic, the odds of suffering from PTSD after deployment on operations increased by a factor of nine. US research also found that personnel affected by sexual harassment were somewhat less likely to develop depression or PTSD if a formal report led to effective action to address the issue.
Risk factors Risk factors typical of military settings include the young average age of personnel, isolated workplaces, the minority status of women, hierarchical power relationships, a culture of conformity, the predominance of traditionally masculine values and behaviours, and a heavy drinking culture. Sexual misconduct is typically accompanied by a wider culture that demeans women and other marginalised social groups in the military, such as LGBTQ+ people and people of colour, as inferior to white heterosexual men. The first systematic survey of sexual harassment in the British armed forces, in 2006, found that a male-dominated culture both sexualised women and undervalued their military competence. Among the comments made to researchers by male personnel about their female counterparts were: 'Ok there are a few exceptions but on the whole they [women] shouldn't be here.'; 'They're all lesbians or sluts.'; and 'They are emotionally unstable.'
Prevalence
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