Tri-Service
Gen Sir Nick Carter Bids To Eradicate Bullying & Harassment
The Army has unveiled a crackdown on bullying and sexual harassment in its ranks.
The Chief of the General Staff says unacceptable behaviour will be stamped out and General Nick Carter has produced a new code of conduct for all ranks to follow.
This comes after a recent survey found that almost half of service personnel felt sexual harassment was a problem in parts of the army.
General Sir Nick Carter, who has been in the post for a year, said the organisation must not put up with unacceptable behaviour.
The code, to tackle bullying and sexual harassment, will promote tolerance but is not just a bid to be politically correct, he said.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "No, I'm not arguing for political correctness, what I'm arguing for is to live by our values and standards and to accept everyone in an inclusive way.
"I think there is a risk we will lose sight of our ultimate goal, which is to close with and kill the Queen's enemies, and we have to have that at the forefront of our mind, but equally we cannot accept unacceptable behaviour."
A recent survey suggested almost 40% of servicewomen had received unwanted comments of a sexual nature in the past year.
The report, based on a survey of 7,000 soldiers and commissioned by the Army, also found 13% of women questioned had had "a particularly upsetting experience".
"The no tolerance message must come from the top and seep down through to the lower ranks"
Referring to the low numbers of black, Asian and minority ethnic soldiers, Gen Carter said he is committed to recruiting more.
"We are on a journey here and I'm making a commitment personally as the head of this institution to try and change that," he said.
"Give me time - the effort is there and we are going to do something about it."
Gen Carter has previously pledged to make the Army a more inclusive employer, specifically increasing the numbers of Muslim soldiers.
Major Judith Webb was the first female to command an all male field force squadron in the Army.
She agrees with General Carter's message.
Forces TV's Tim Cooper asked her about the difference between banter and harrassment: for instance - should Scottish Soldiers be referred to as 'Jock'?
The Army, meanwhile, isn’t the only part of society struggling to ensure equality.
Engineering too has long had a male bias, with few women daring to enter what is very much a man’s world.
Forces TV's Will Inglis has been looking into the parallels.
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