Sexual harassment and sexual violence in the military

Modern, well-functioning, agile and responsive militaries rely on personnel with an eclectic range of skills and attributes. This, by definition, requires a diverse workforce. Militaries are historically predominantly male, but across NATO, Allied forces are looking to recruit and retain more women in their ranks. Women still only occupy an average of 9 to 16% of roles across NATO Allies, and shocking reporting in mainstream media of military rape cultures and rife sexual violence may detrimentally impact the future recruitment and retention of women in militaries. Whilst these behaviours are unfortunately not new, the social movement helped to raise the issue across media and other sectors. Other institutions have also been exposed as complicit in covering up, and in some cases, engaging in sexually abusive behaviours. For example, the Catholic Church, the Boy Scouts of America (international) and the BBC have all been involved in sexual violence scandals. And the military has not been immune.