Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday pledged fresh measures to tackle sexual abuse in the country’s armed forces, following a report that highlighted widespread misconduct in the Bundeswehr, the German military.“We are currently seeing a rise in the number of reported cases. This is unacceptable,” he told reporters in Berlin.Pistorius’ remarks came in the wake of a report by the Bundeswehr’s own Centre of Military History and Social Sciences, which found that 40% of female soldiers had experienced at least one instance of sexual misconduct in the preceding 12 months.The misconduct ranged from verbal harassment and visual abuse, including unwanted exposure to pornography, to unwelcome touching and, in 2% of cases, sexual violence.Around 19% of male soldiers also reported experiencing similar misconduct, with non-heterosexual personnel disproportionately affected.Based on survey responses from 45,000 serving military personnel, the report indicated that the actual scale of abuse was likely to be significantly higher than reflected in official complaints.Pistorius pointed out that women serving in lower ranks were particularly vulnerable.“We are talking here about three to five times as many cases as have actually been reported. Unsurprisingly, young women in the lower ranks are particularly affected,” the minister said.“To me, it is clear that this study on the unreported cases was the starting point; it was the beginning, not the end of the matter,” he added.Pistorius pledged new measures to make reporting abuse easier, improve the tracking of action taken on complaints and provide additional support to those coming forward. Commanders would also be held more accountable for addressing misconduct.“Anyone who fails to set an example, or who even tolerates misconduct or fails to deal with it consistently, will no longer hold a leadership position,” he warned.The report comes as Germany seeks to build its military into Europe’s most powerful force after decades of underinvestment that left the armed forces at a fraction of their Cold War strength.Last year, the government approved plans for voluntary military service aimed at doubling the number of trained reservists to around 200,000, alongside a target of at least 260,000 active-duty soldiers.(With Reuters inputs)
