Female recruits 'have no faith in Defence Forces investigating themselves'

RTÉ Radio 1 documentary featured first-hand accounts by female members of the Defence Forces of alleged sexual assault and harassment by male colleagues and superiors

Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Defence Sorca Clarke said she is "deeply, deeply concerned for the welfare of women then and now in our Defence forces".

Sinn Fein has repeated its call for a full, independent inquiry into claims of sexual abuse and harassment within the Defence Forces, insisting that the women involved "have no faith in the Defence Forces investigating themselves".

The call comes following the broadcast yesterday of the RTÉ radio documentary Women of Honour, which featured first-hand accounts by female members of the Defence Forces of alleged sexual assault and harassment by male colleagues and superiors. 

The documentary, made by broadcaster Katie Hannon, also told of how female members with children believed they were discriminated against.

Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Defence Sorca Clarke said she is "deeply, deeply concerned for the welfare of women then and now in our Defence forces".

"This is nothing new," she said.

"It's been 20 years since the Tom Clonan report was published, and in that time, the women that he spoke to, the vast majority of them, had no confidence in the reporting structures that were in place, or the capability of the Defence Forces to investigate themselves."

The Sinn Féin TD said that allegations of abuse and harassment have "been known about for quite some time. However, the issue today, particularly for the minister and for the Department of Defence is the question of what decisive actions are they going to take." 

What are they going to do to address the causes, to examine the impact of abuse and harassment, but also to stop that culture of active reprisals against those who do report within the Defence Forces.

Among those featured in the documentary were Karina Molloy,  the first woman to reach senior non-commissioned officer rank as company quartermaster sergeant. 

She said she “could not stay silent” in relation to about a dozen separate incidents.

She described how, on her first overseas mission, she was summoned to receive a birthday present. 

She stood in front of a group of male colleagues, opened the present, and discovered “a pair of sexy underwear”. In the crotch was written: “I wish I was here.”

Other female members told of experiences of sexual assault and rape, with some of these women suffering eating disorders, distress, trauma, mental anguish, and suicide attempts as a result.

Ms Molloy said she reported incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault at the hands of a superior officer, before being told to “forget it”.

Ms Clarke, along with the Social Democrats and Labour Party, says a full, independent inquiry into the allegations must be carried out.  

The Sinn Féin TD also says those Defence Forces members who have signed non-disclosure agreements should not be prevented from sharing their stories.

"The minister must waive those agreements for people to be able to come forward to tell of their experiences, if they choose to do this," Ms Clarke said.

We also don't know what the extent of this behaviour has been in the Defence Forces and for us to ensure the proper steps are taken for the survivors to get justice.

"Another critical part of this will be to ensure that those who have engaged in this abuse, those who are engaged in the harassment, and those also who have obstructed the reporting of abuse are held accountable for their actions."

Ms Clarke has written to Defence Minister Simon Coveney and asked him to meet with those who participated in the documentary.

Yesterday, following the broadcast, the Defence Forces pledged to co-operate with any investigation that is launched.