Army

Sexual Harassment "Totally Unacceptable" Says Head Of Army

The level of sexual harassment suffered by women soldiers is "totally unacceptable" according to General Sir Nick Carter.

The Head of the Army was commenting on the results of a survey that found nearly half of service personnel believe sexual harassment is still a problem in some parts of the Army.

The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, is warning service personnel that it’s a crime to have sex without consent.

The hard-hitting campaign features a series of graphic posters showing that rape is a serious crime that carries a prison sentence.

The message is being supported by the charities Stonewall and Rape Crisis.

In May meanwhile, the MoD made the following statement:

"Rape and sexual assault are abhorrent crimes which have no place in the Armed Forces. We absolutely do not tolerate offences of this kind and every reported incident of rape, sexual assault or harassment is thoroughly investigated."

"It is important to note that there is no evidence to suggest that rates of sexual offending in the Armed Forces are higher than in the broader population.

"However, we recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence, which is precisely why we have extensive support in place for those affected, including helplines, training programmes and awareness campaigns.

"In addition, the Army has established a Sexual Offences Prevention Working Group to both reduce incidents of sexual assault and improve support to victims."