Over 60% of female soldiers surveyed reported sexual harassment or abuse, with about 2% reporting sexual violence. About a third of those surveyed said they would not report incidents, citing distrust of superiors; only 18% of 45,000 contacted responded.
Over 60% of Germany's Female Soldiers Report Harassment or Abuse, Study Finds
Thousands of female and other soldiers report harassment, physical attacks, and sexual violence, with many reluctant to report due to distrust of superiors.
Turning a blind eye would do more damage in the long term
Mark
Over 60% of women reporting harassment is a stark figure. What exactly is being counted?
Mimi
A wide range. Explicit remarks and degrading rituals up to sexual violence. Nearly 40% reported sexualised comments, 15% unwanted phone pictures, some AI-altered, just over 8% physical attacks, and 2% sexual violence.
Luke
Worth keeping the categories apart. The 60% headline blends remarks with violence. The 2% is the figure for sexual violence specifically.
Mark
And men were affected too?
Mimi
Around 19% of male soldiers reported similar misconduct, and non-binary and gay soldiers were hit disproportionately.
Mark
Why does Pistorius tie this to recruitment?
Mimi
The target is 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035, partly to avoid conscription. He also noted women in units with more women were less affected, so he argues for recruiting more of them.
Luke
That's his reading of one finding. The reporting doesn't tell us why those units differ, so it's an inference, not a demonstrated cause.
Mark
What about the response rate?
Mimi
45,000 people were contacted and 18% answered. The ministry says its analysis shows the results are representative.
Luke
That's the ministry's own assessment. People with experiences to report may be more likely to respond, and we haven't seen an independent check. And a third say they don't or wouldn't report, so real incidents may be undercounted too.
Mark
What changes now?
Mimi
A 24-hour HELP hotline, more status updates for complainants, and a yearly repeat of the study.
Il Polso
- Over 60% of about 4,000 female respondents reported harassment or abuse
- 2% reported sexual violence; just over 8% physical attacks
- 18% of 45,000 people contacted responded
- Target of 260,000 active troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035
Over 60% of female soldiers surveyed reported sexual harassment or abuse, with about 2% reporting sexual violence. About a third of those surveyed said they would not report incidents, citing distrust of superiors; only 18% of 45,000 contacted responded.
A first comprehensive study of Germany's Bundeswehr finds over 60% of female soldiers reported sexual harassment or abuse on duty; the defence minister calls it unacceptable and promises zero tolerance.
A study released this week by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences in Potsdam has put numbers on something Germany's armed forces had never measured so thoroughly. More than 60% of the female soldiers who responded said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment or abuse while on duty. The range runs from sexually explicit remarks and degrading rituals to sexual violence.
It is the first comprehensive study of its kind into the Bundeswehr. About 4,000 women answered the survey. Nearly 40% of them said they had been addressed with suggestive comments and sexualised remarks. Another 15% said they had been harassed with mobile phone pictures taken against their will, some of them altered using AI. Just over 8% reported being physically attacked, and 2% said they had been victims of sexual violence.
Women were not the only ones affected. Around 19% of male soldiers had experienced a similar form of sexual misconduct, according to the study, and non-binary and gay soldiers were disproportionately affected.
Defence minister Boris Pistorius called the findings "unacceptable" and promised a "zero tolerance" approach. The timing matters to him. The Bundeswehr has put billions into boosting both personnel and equipment, and military leaders have set a target of 260,000 active-duty troops and 200,000 reservists by 2035, in the hope of avoiding the introduction of conscription. A force trying to grow in response to global threats is also a force that has to persuade people to join.
Pistorius pointed to one finding in particular: women in units with a higher proportion of other women were less often affected. In his view, that "argues in favour of recruiting more women into the Bundeswehr."
He also said some colleagues had advised him to drop the study, fearing it would damage the military's reputation. Doing so, he said, would amount to "turning a blind eye," which would hurt the Bundeswehr more in the long run. The study will be repeated every year.
Reporting is a problem in its own right. About a third of those surveyed said they did not report incidents, or would not, because they lacked trust in what their superiors would do. Victims have also said they were often left in the dark about their cases while being expected to keep serving. Pistorius said people who file complaints should in future receive more information on the status of their proceedings. Earlier this month, before the results were public, he set up a hotline for military personnel called HELP, staffed around the clock.
One caveat sits inside the numbers. The ministry contacted 45,000 active or former members of the armed forces, and 18% responded. It said its analysis showed the figures were nevertheless representative.
What to watch next is the annual repeat of the survey, which will show whether the figures move, and whether the HELP hotline and the promised updates to complainants change how many people are willing to come forward.
Citazioni salienti
Zero tolerance applies to sexual harassment within the Bundeswehr.— Boris Pistorius, German defence minister
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