Defence forces and a culture of sexual violence

We reported a couple of weeks ago that the Australian Navy had to stop work for a day to learn that sexual harassment is unacceptable behaviour.

Maybe this should be extended to the whole of the defence forces.

In the latest in a long record of poor treatment of women, a young woman was secretly filmed having consensual sex with the recording then broadcast on the internet to mates. Because, that’s what mates do! As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Defense Forces have apparently penalised the victim, to the point of asking that she apologise for blowing the whistle.

Who can blame her for going public. These incidents occur with startling regularity, and have apparently been going on for years.

Twelve months ago claims of a predatory, sexual culture within the Navy came to light. Amid claims the initial enquiry by the Navy had been biased

Elizabeth Broderick, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, is calling for a change in the culture, which she says is “disrespectful”. That’s putting it mildly. Another expert says the Defence Forces has been ignoring this problem for years.

When rape is seen as a “spoil” of war, is it any wonder this is the culture that becomes embedded in defence forces?

Sexual violence is nothing new in war, but now women  – or one of them at least – are fighting back.

Iman al-Obeidi accused the Libyan Militia of raping her. But she didn’t just make that accusation – she did so to a room full of foreign journalists when she burst into their hotel before being dragged out by the Militia.

Now she’s becoming a heroine for women in the Libyan revolution.

The systemic rape of women in the Congo has been raised regularly over the years from 2007 through to now.

Then there’s the Ivory Coast, Sudan, Bosnia, and the list goes on.