*Contains content about sexual assault*
A recent report into bullying and harassment in the Irish Armed Forces, conducted by the Independent Review Group (IRG), has found structural failures in how the Irish Armed Forces treats women.
The Report found that 88 per cent of female respondents in the Armed Forces said that they had been the victims of one or more types of sexual harassment.
Also, 46 per cent reported experiencing unwanted physical contact/sexual assault.
The IRG said: “Different sources available to the IRG-DF conclude that, at best, the Defence Forces barely tolerates women and, at its worst, verbally, physically, sexually and psychologically abuses women in its ranks.”
The Review Group, which was founded in 2022 after an RTE investigation found cases of abuse in the Forces in 2021, recommended that there be a full statutory inquiry into the issue and that an external complaints system should be made available for those in the Armed Forces.
It also recommends that new policies on gender, inclusion and diversity be formed.
