Thirteen alleged sexual assaults reported in Defence Forces in the past decade

Only three members of the Defence Forces have been discharged after being found guilty of sexual assault in the last 10 years following courts martial, despite more than a dozen official complaints of alleged assaults, figures show.

There have been 13 cases of alleged sexual assault reported in the Defence Forces since 2012, according to figures released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act.

Just one formal report of sexual harassment has been recorded by the military over the same 12-year period.

Some 35 complaints of bullying have been made in the Defence Forces. However, less than a quarter of cases were upheld following internal investigations, while several were withdrawn.

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The Defence Forces has been struggling to respond to criticism of its handling of sexual assaults and harassment in its ranks in recent years.

An independent report earlier this year found there was a toxic culture in the military that “barely tolerated” women. Sexual abuse, physical abuse and bullying were common, with the problems enduring to the present day, it said.

The report led the Government to commit to set up a tribunal of inquiry into sexual abuse and bullying in the Defence Forces.

[ What is being done to tackle sexual abuse and harassment in the Defence Forces? ]

The figures released by the Defence Forces show the number of personnel coming forward to report alleged sexual assaults has slightly increased in recent years.

While there were only one or no reports of sexual assaults a year between 2012 and 2021, there were three alleged assaults reported last year, and two to date this year.

Records show courts martial have found members guilty of sexual assault in six cases since 2012, with the perpetrator dismissed or discharged in half of the cases.

In other cases, members were stripped of a senior rank and fined, suspended for three months and severely reprimanded, and suspended for six months and fined.

The Women of Honour, a group of former Defence Forces members who have been campaigning against sexual abuse in the military, have said the true prevalence of sexual assaults and harassment was much higher.

Diane Byrne, a spokeswoman for the group, said in many cases people did not feel comfortable making formal complaints.

Members felt the organisation “will very much turn on you” if they reported assaults or harassment. Some who had come forward to report abuse in the past had been “destroyed”, she said.

There was a lack of faith in how allegations would be handled, with people who reported complaints being “seen as the problem” in the military, she said.

In a statement, the Defence Forces said it had brought in “a number of measures to ensure that the prevailing culture of the organisation is underpinned by dignity, equality and respect for all”. These included unconscious bias training and mandatory sexual ethics workshops.

The military and the Department of Defence are carrying out a “full review” of its complaints procedure, as well as immediately referring any complaints of a sexual nature to gardaí, the statement said.