All military personnel are to be better protected through the launch of a new programme to prevent and address unacceptable sexual behaviour.
- Defence publishes the first ever tri-Service military sexual harassment survey results as part of the Government's landmark commitment to halve violence against women and girls.
- Prevention teams will operate from Armed Forces sites in North Yorkshire and Plymouth with regional reach, before rolling out more widely.
- Recruitment is live for six specialist staff to initially train new recruits and reinforce the highest standards of behaviour in the Armed Forces.
The announcement comes alongside the publication of the first ever military-wide sexual harassment survey. Ministers commissioned the first-of-its-kind survey earlier this year to fully understand personnel's experiences and perceptions of sexual harassment in the military. The results are designed to provide vital data to design and drive prevention programmes, support schemes and contribute to the central Government mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.
The new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce announced earlier this year will tackle the cultural and behavioural root causes of unacceptable sexual behaviour, predominantly against women, in the Armed Forces. Its prevention programme will initially target interventions at young recruits to boost understanding of consent, misogyny, incel culture and harmful online influences against men and women and enforce the highest behavioural standards.
Catterick Garrison, an Army Base in Yorkshire, and Plymouth Naval Base will implement the first change programmes, which will include delivery of interventions in training facilities for our young recruits in Army Foundation College Harrogate and HMS Raleigh. We will then expand to our UK military personnel in Cyprus and RAF Halton in 2026 before wider rollout.
Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones MP said:
All those who choose to serve our country must be able to do so with dignity and respect. As a veteran myself, this mission is deeply personal to me.
By commissioning the UK's first-ever comprehensive military sexual harassment survey, this Government is establishing, for the first time, a no holds barred baseline to fully confront and address the root causes of the issue and set new standards in transparency and accountability across our Armed Forces. We want our military to be best in class on this issue, and Ministers and Chiefs are working closely together to play our part in the Government's central mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
The Taskforce will include a multidisciplinary team of VAWG specialists and Armed Forces experts to identify key intervention points, trial a series of targeted initiatives, and scale up those that prove effective.
The Raising our Standards programme is driving the cultural change we need to ensure that everyone in Defence meets the highest standards of behaviour and professionalism. This work is the latest in a series of new initiatives to improve Service life, following the creation of the first Armed Forces Commissioner, a truly independent voice for Service personnel who will hold the Government and single Services to account and report directly to parliament, rather than ministers. Defence is also establishing a tri-Service complaints system, which - for the first time - takes the most serious complaints outside of the single Service chains of command.
Defence continues to invest and support the Victim Witness Care Unit, which provides comprehensive support for victims of serious crime, ensuring that those who come forward receive the care and advocacy they deserve.
