Sexual Harassment in the Royal Air Force

A new report found that nearly half of the women in Britain’s Royal Air Force have been sexually harassed while in active service. More than 1000 of the 2500 women interviewed reported having been sexually harassed during the last twelve months.
Responding to the relatively low rates of reporting, the Ministry of Defence noted simply that, “Whilst people experience unacceptable behavior, the majority tolerate it and do not complain especially because they feel it will not be taken seriously or will affect their career.” As I’m sure it would, given that most women reported being harassed by two or more male servicemen of a senior rank.
United Press International reported on one particularly disturbing case in which a Flight Lieutenant had a bounty placed on her head for the first crew member to have sex with her.
Not that the US stacks up any better. Surveys taken last year found that at the US Air Force Academy 70% of cadets reported being sexually harassed and 20% reported being sexually assaulted.
Given our current state of perpetual war, you have to take a step back and look at the treatment women are receiving within these institutions. While Bushie & Laura seem to love talking about the US military’s liberation of the women of Afghanistan, it seems worth noting that a report released last month found that, “273 sexual assaults have been reported since August 2002 among U.S. troops deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Bahrain, including 119 in the Army and 32 in the Navy.”