Protection against sexual harassment in Forces being boosted

The UK Government has introduced new measures to tackle sexual harassment in the armed forces, including a tri-service complaints unit and a taskforce focused on violence against women, according to Minister for Veterans and People Al Carns.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Sarah Dyke MP (LD, Glastonbury and Somerton) raised concerns following the 2024 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey, which reported that 13% of female personnel had experienced sexual harassment in the past year.

“Many women have said they would not report an incident due to fear of the consequences,” she said.

“The recently announced tri-service scheme is welcome, but what steps is [the Minister] taking to make it genuinely independent to ensure women’s confidence in the scheme and their safety while serving in the armed forces?”

Carns stated that the new tri-service complaints unit will operate outside the chain of command, ensuring cases are handled independently and impartially.

“The single services will therefore not be able to, nor be perceived to be able to, mark their own homework,” he said.

Carns also announced the formation of a Defence Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce, which will report directly to him.

“The violence against women and girls taskforce that we have created will work directly to me. It will be a small team at my level, but it will have tentacles right down into the single services,” he said.

The taskforce will provide a confidential and safe space for women to report incidents, which can then be escalated through the formal complaints system or directly to his office.

“It will provide a safe space for women to go to if they want to raise an issue or a complaint, which can then be transferred into the complaints system or, indeed, in parallel all the way up to me so that I can take action directly,” Carns said.

The government say it is also working with other departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office, to strengthen protections for women in the military and incorporate lessons learned from broader society.