A new report has revealed the prevalence of sexual harassment, bullying and physical attacks on women in the British armed forces.

In a report published by the British newspaper "The Independent", writer Maya Oppenheim says that a team of researchers surveyed - in a study - the opinions of 750 former female soldiers, and about a quarter (22.5%) reported being sexually harassed, and 22.7% said they had been subjected to emotional bullying. .

The report, which was published in the journal BMJ Military Health, quoted the study as saying that 5% had been sexually assaulted, and 3% had been physically assaulted.

The study confirms that younger women, who served as officers, or worked in combat units and combat support units, were more likely to experience these experiences.

It found that sexual harassment most often resulted in emotional pain, fatigue, and other mental health problems associated with abuse.

The researchers explained that "sexual assaults were significantly associated with alcohol use, while emotional bullying often led to psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, loss of social support and loneliness."

The study surveyed the opinions of former female soldiers, most of whom were over 61 years old, and the researchers noted that "the results may not be generalizable to younger female soldiers."

The researchers added that "many women do not report negative experiences while on duty because of fear of the consequences, and may continue to suffer from mental health problems during and after military service. It is necessary to consider whether current reporting procedures provide sufficient confidentiality to encourage women to report negative experiences." The best procedures for detecting such practices should be adopted.

Women in the British Army face a gender-biased culture that takes the form of obscene behavior (Shutterstock)

Previous officer experience

"I'm sad, but not at all surprised," Lieutenant Colonel Diane Allen, who resigned more than a year ago due to alleged discrimination, told The Independent, commenting on the results of the study.

Allen, who began military service at the age of 18, agrees with the report's finding about the lack of support female war veterans have found in reporting their experiences.

"There is a similar problem for women who are currently serving in the military, as they also cannot make their voices heard due to fear of ostracism and loss of housing and jobs, if they speak out. Generally, there is a lack of legal representation and human resources, while the Ministry of Defense employs large teams of lawyers to manipulate in the minds of these women and convince them that nothing happened."

And she continues, "Add to that the lack of secrecy, which explains why these problems persist. The common denominator is the problem of the senior leadership. Senior leaders set regulations but then fail to abide by them."

Allen wrote a book called Forewarned, highlighting the problems she faced during her time in the army, asserting that "subordinate officers hide these practices because of their real fear that they will be fired from their jobs if they disclose these misdeeds to their superiors. ".

"I think we'll hear the usual answer from the Department of Defense that they don't tolerate assault and harassment and sexual harassment and take it seriously, but they don't. We need examples that at any time they took it seriously," Allen says.

The writer stresses that prominent figures in Britain believe that progress in addressing gender bias and sexual harassment in the armed forces is too slow, as women in the British army face a gender-biased culture that takes the form of "lewd behaviour".

British lawmakers have warned that conviction rates for rape and sexual assault cases are "shamefully low".

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said there were efforts to "improve the experience of women in the armed forces" and that the ministry did not tolerate abuse, bullying, harassment or discrimination.

He added that efforts include "launching a 24/7 confidential and independent helpline to report cases of bullying, harassment and discrimination with trained counsellors. All allegations are taken seriously, with investigations into illegal behavior conducted by relevant police agencies when necessary." ".