Servicewomen in the British military are being badly let down when reporting sexual violence, with some victims even punished for breaches of military rules when making a report, new research reveals.
Women in the military reported they felt isolated and bullied
Researchers say there is an urgent need to overhaul the "military's misogynistic gender culture", as well as end the misuse of disciplinary procedures against victims who breach codes of conduct when they report sexual violence.
The research, led by the University of York and published in the Royal United Services Institution Journal, found that women who experienced sexual violence often feel betrayed by responses to their reports, both by the chain of command and by their peers.
They often felt isolated and bullied, and, in some cases, punished by their commanders because, at the time of the assault, they had been drinking or fraternising with subordinates.
Compelling
The authors of the report say the findings are particularly compelling coming in the immediate aftermath of the Service Inquiry report into the death of Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley-Louise Beck, who was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December 2021 after experiencing "an intense period of unwelcome behaviour."
One participant who took part in the University of York study described how the camp they were based at turned into a "hostile environment" after she reported her assault. Colleagues stated that they did not believe her and refused to work with her.
She was told by her commander that she was becoming an "inconvenience" because of the bad atmosphere it was creating. Some of her fellow servicewomen, she told the interviewer, "would come to me and be like 'it happened to me, I believe you,' it was kind of like a small MeToo movement… [but] if you spoke out, you [were] ostracised."
Reputation
Several participants believed that there was an overriding concern with keeping negative stories out of the media to protect the military's reputation.
