The British Army continues to cover itself in shame in regards to sexual violence. A fortnight after a senior soldier was jailed in a case where a young woman died, a new sexual misconduct report has landed. The findings are astonishing. The Armed Forces Sexualised Behaviours and Sexual Harassment Survey is the first pan-military report.

It found:

67% of females experienced at least one sexualised behaviour in the last 12 months compared to 34% of males.

Women in the air force were slightly less likely to experience sexualised behaviour. But rates were nevertheless very high:

RAF females (63%) were less likely to have experienced a sexualised behaviour compared to RN and Army females (both 69%).

The behaviours were most likely to take one of four forms: Verbal, Non-Verbal, Cyber, Physical. The workplace was the most common location for them to occur.

British Army — Jaysley Beck case

Two weeks ago, an army warrant officer was given six months in jail. Michael Webber was found to have sexually assaulted Gunner Jaysley Beck. Beck later took her own life. The paltry sentence was slammed by charities. Beck died in 2021. Now, in 2025, the problems which led to her death still seem to be unresolved.

The Centre for Military Justice (CMJ) said:

Sadly, the survey reflects what all our female clients would say – which is that they are experiencing wholly disproportionate levels of sexual harassment or worse during their service – a situation that does not seem to be improving as the years go by.

CMJ slammed the army’s complaints process:

Of particular concern is the revelation – buried in the data tables underlying the report – that despite experiencing all these behaviours, hardly any women actually reported or formally complained about their situation. What does that tell you about their trust in the complaints process?

And Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) said:

The MoD presents the survey as a baseline for future work. Fair enough. It also reflects the failures of past reforms.

The Wigston Review in 2019 warned that harassment was ingrained in military life. The Defence Committee in 2021 criticised the services for their poor handling of complaints. This new, centralised survey shows that little has shifted. Perhaps it is a marker for future change. At least this is the hope.

MOD admits ‘unacceptable’ behaviour is rife

In a press release, 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, which is why today’s survey results are wholly unacceptable.

Uniformed head of the military Sir Richard Knighton said:

Our job in the Armed Forces is to be ready to deter, fight and win. To do that our people must feel safe – this is critical to our operational effectiveness. The results of the survey show just how much more I, and leaders at every level, need to do to stamp out behaviour which has no place in the UK Armed Forces.

Speaking at Michael Webber’s sentencing on 31 October, Jaysley Beck’s mother Leighann McCready said:

Jaysley should have been sat in court with us today to see the person she reported held accountable for what he did. Instead, we stand here without her, living a life sentence that no family should ever have to face.

Speaking outside the court, she told reporters of young women looking to join: “Until real changes are made, don’t join the army”.

The military has consistently proven incapable of protecting its own soldiers from sexual violence and harassment. It remains to be seen if yet another set of ‘reforms’ can make the situation any better. And the cost isn’t just bad PR — in some cases it is the lives of those affected.

Featured image via the Canary

 

By Joe Glenton

This post was originally published on Canary.