Who are the Women of Honour?
The Women of Honour is a group of former Defence Forces members. Its members have detailed allegations of sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination in the military. A 2021 documentary by RTÉ broadcaster Katie Hannon, called Women of Honour, shone a light on the experiences of female former members of the Army and Navy which detailed sexual assault and harassment by male colleagues and superiors. It detailed the kinds of discrimination faced by these women in their roles.
What happened then?
There was public and political outrage, and the Opposition joined to demand an independent inquiry. In January 2022, the former minister for defence Simon Coveney secured Government agreement to set up a judge-led independent review to examine issues relating to sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment and discrimination in the Defence Forces.
What did this review find, after a year of investigation?
The Independent Review Group published its final report on Tuesday, with a series of damning findings that took even Cabinet Ministers by surprise in terms of the scale of the issue. The report found that officers in the Defence Forces failed to bring about change across the military and presided over a toxic culture in which women were “barely tolerated”, where sexual and physical abuse were common and bullying formed part of the training process. The handling of complaints was a major issue which was identified. The review group found that many members of the Defence Forces had lost trust in their leadership and were still unwilling to come forward and make complaints, even in non-criminal cases. The report also pointed towards an outdated idea of soldiering and military culture in the Defence Forces.
What did it find about the experience of being a woman in the Defence Forces?
One of the most alarming findings was that almost nine out of 10 women who responded to the review group reported that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment. One section of the report reveals how some female members of the Defence Forces were told to “maintain two locks on their cabin or bedroom doors if there has been an attempt to assault or forcibly enter their sleeping quarters in the past”. Women described being subject to weekly punishment at the hands of their male colleagues, particularly when on career development or promotional courses. Because of their gender, they were subjected to “physical and mental torture”.
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[ Women of Honour: 12 damning findings from the Defences Forces statutory inquiryOpens in new window ]
So what did the review recommend? What will change?
There were 13 recommendations in total, and the Government has said that it has accepted all of them. Firstly, and most importantly, it recommended a statutory fact-finding process. The Coalition has confirmed now that this will take the form of a full statutory inquiry, although the exact format is still being worked on. It also called for the immediate reform to the process of making a complaint of unacceptable behaviour, and for external oversight of the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces should also develop new policies on gender, inclusion and diversity, the report said.
What happens next, and how quickly can it happen?
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin will meet the Women of Honour group and other representative bodies in order to draw up the terms of reference for the new inquiry. A motion could be brought before the Dáil before the summer recess to establish the inquiry. In the meantime, the Coalition has pledged to move quickly on other recommendations such as changing the complaints process within the Defence Forces and examining external oversight.
