Nearly one third of female Royal Navy, Army and RAF regulars groped in service, "comprehensive" survey says
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Nearly one third of female military personnel say they received “unwanted physical touching” during work.
As outlined in the newly published Armed Forces Sexualised Behaviours and Sexual Harassment Survey, 32 per cent of female regulars were touched inappropriately or groped while serving. This is compared to five per cent of males receiving unwelcome touching.
Additionally, eight per cent of females report that they suffered from “non-consensual sexual activity”, with only one per cent of males experiencing the same. Data is calculated from 65,795 across the Royal Navy, Army, RAF, and Royal Marines - a total of 94,275 if you include reserves.
Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones MP, described the results as “wholly unacceptable”, and said the “comprehensive” survey will provide “a no holds barred baseline to fully confront and address the root causes of this issue”.
“New standards in transparency and accountability are being set across our Armed Forces,” she added. “As a veteran myself, this mission is deeply personal to me and I want our military to be the best in class on this issue. 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.”
High profile cases of inappropriate behaviour and sexual crimes in the armed forces have brought the situation to the forefront. Warrant Officer Michael Webber, 43, was jailed for six months after sexually assaulting 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck at Thorney Island near Emsworth in July 2021.
The British Army’s handling of Gnr Beck’s complaints played a contributing factor into her taking her own life at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December of that year, it was deemed in her inquest.
Experienced Petty Officer Daniel Triffitt, 36, was recently dismissed from the Royal Navy after molesting two female sailors by squeezing their bottoms - one in front of her boyfriend. High-ranking personnel have also been embroiled in inappropriate behaviour.
Former First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, was sacked and stripped of his rank after having a consensual relationship with a female subordinate, despite being married with three children. Lieutenant Commander Martyn Mayger was removed from his post as Commanding Officer of HMS Tyne after being accused of “unacceptable sexual behaviour”. An investigation remains ongoing.
According to the survey, 67 per cent of females experienced at least one sexualised behaviour in the last 12 months, from verbal insults to non-consensual sexual behaviour. This is compared to 34 per cent of men. Women who hold “other ranks” were more likely to suffer from such actions rather than officers.
Sexualised behaviour most commonly occurred in an open workplace at the military home or training unit - 76 per cent of total incidents - often by two or three different people. A total of 69 per cent of female Royal Navy sailors experienced sexualised behaviour in the last 12 months, compared to 38 per cent of men.
For the RAF, it was 63 per cent to 38 per cent, and for the Army, the figures show 69 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men experienced it. Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, said independent mechanisms have been established over the last few years for reporting the most serious incidents outside of the chain of command, which had lead to more people feeling confident enough to speak out.
“Our job in the Armed Forces is to be ready to deter, fight and win,” he added. “To do that our people must feel safe – this is critical to our operational effectiveness. The results of the survey show just how much more I, and leaders at every level, need to do to stamp out behaviour which has no place in the UK Armed Forces. The data from the survey will help us do this and track our progress. We are committed to driving the cultural change needed.”