The UK government announced on Monday the introduction of a range of new measures aimed at stamping out inappropriate behavior in the UK armed forces, following a report published by the UK Ministry of Defense, which found several instances of such
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2019) The UK government announced on Monday the introduction of a range of new measures aimed at stamping out inappropriate behavior in the UK armed forces, following a report published by the UK Ministry of Defense, which found several instances of such.The report, overseen by Air Marshal Michael Wigston, was commissioned by the UK Defense Ministry in April following several allegations of inappropriate behavior. The report found that while good behavior was the norm throughout the armed forces, there were still many instances of inappropriate behavior present throughout the UK military, which included the breach of laws, sexual offenses, bullying, harassment, discrimination or inflicting harm or putting individuals or the organization at risk. The report gave 36 recommendations to the UK Defense Ministry to help eliminate inappropriate behavior.
"Steps to be taken include instilling a shift in culture, led by those responsible for managing day-to-day discipline, as well as overhauling the complaints system so the most serious allegations are investigated quickly and if appropriate, outside the chain of command. New training and reporting to track culture change will also be implemented," the UK government said in a statement.
UK Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt said that she was committed to ensuring that all of the report's recommendations were delivered in full.
"Whether it is crude comments, discriminatory treatment, or even offences of a sexual nature, inappropriate behaviour has no place in society, let alone in our armed forces," Mordaunt said in a statement.
One of the key recommendations of the report is the creation of a new "Defence Authority," which will provide centralized oversight on how the other recommendations are delivered and which investigate allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination.
The report also said that the government's efforts to tackle inappropriate behavior should focus on setting standards throughout leadership on all levels, and creating a culture in which those standards are met by those in charge.
In April, the UK Defense Ministry commissioned the urgent review of behavior in the armed forces following claims that a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by six soldiers at an army base. Additionally, in late March, the UK Defense Ministry released a report in which it showed a 35 percent increase in sexual offense investigations throughout the UK military since 2016.
