- Defence publishes the first ever tri-Service military sexual
harassment survey results as part of the Government's landmark
commitment to halve violence against women and girls.
- Prevention teams will operate from Armed Forces sites in
North Yorkshire and Plymouth with regional reach, before rolling
out more widely.
- Recruitment is live for six specialist staff to initially
train new recruits and reinforce the highest standards of
behaviour in the Armed Forces.
All military personnel are to be better protected through the
launch of a new programme to prevent and address unacceptable
sexual behaviour.
The announcement comes ahead of publication today of the first
ever military-wide sexual harassment survey. Ministers
commissioned the first-of-its-kind survey earlier this year to
fully understand personnel's experiences and perceptions of
sexual harassment in the military. The results are designed to
provide vital data to design and drive prevention programmes,
support schemes and contribute to the central Government mission
to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
The new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce
announced earlier this year will tackle the cultural and
behavioural root causes of unacceptable sexual behaviour,
predominantly against women, in the Armed Forces. Its prevention
programme will initially target interventions at young recruits
to boost understanding of consent, misogyny, incel culture and
harmful online influences against men and women and enforce the
highest behavioural standards.
Catterick Garrison, an Army Base in Yorkshire, and Plymouth Naval
Base will implement the first change programmes, which will
include delivery of interventions in training facilities for our
young recruits in Army Foundation College Harrogate and HMS
Raleigh. We will then expand to our UK military personnel in
Cyprus and RAF Halton in 2026 before wider rollout.
Minister for Veterans and People, MP said:
“All those who choose to serve our country must be able to do so
with dignity and respect. As a veteran myself, this mission is
deeply personal to me.
“By commissioning the UK's first-ever comprehensive military
sexual harassment survey, this Government is establishing, for
the first time, a no holds barred baseline to fully confront and
address the root causes of the issue and set new standards in
transparency and accountability across our Armed Forces. We want
our military to be best in class on this issue, and Ministers and
Chiefs are working closely together to play our part in the
Government's central mission to halve violence against women and
girls in a decade.”
The Taskforce will include a multidisciplinary team of VAWG
specialists and Armed Forces experts to identify key intervention
points, trial a series of targeted initiatives, and scale up
those that prove effective.
The Raising our Standards programme is driving the cultural
change we need to ensure that everyone in Defence meets the
highest standards of behaviour and professionalism. This work is
the latest in a series of new initiatives to improve Service
life, following the creation of the first Armed Forces
Commissioner, a truly independent voice for Service personnel who
will hold the Government and single Services to account and
report directly to parliament, rather than ministers. Defence is
also establishing a tri-Service complaints system, which – for
the first time – takes the most serious complaints outside of the
single Service chains of command.
Defence continues to invest and support the Victim Witness Care
Unit, which provides comprehensive support for victims of serious
crime, ensuring that those who come forward receive the care and
advocacy they deserve.
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