Australian Defence Force acknowledges failure to deal with sexual misconduct
Jul 22, 2022
Canberra [Australia], July 22 (ANI/Xinhua): The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has acknowledged its failure to deal with sexual misconduct within its ranks.
In a statement published recently, the Department of Defence said that it was committed to "doing better" to treat all allegations of sexual misconduct within the ADF "seriously."
"Defence acknowledges our previous failures to adequately handle sexual misconduct incidents," it said.
The statement did not reference specific incidents. It said any ADF member who experiences sexual misconduct is strongly encouraged and supported to report the incident.
It comes when sexual assault complaints in the ADF hit an eight-year high of 187 cases in 2020-21, up from 160 the previous year and three times higher than the 60 in 2013-14, according to the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Australia's multicultural broadcaster.
"All victims are encouraged and supported to report sexual offences to relevant state or territory Police," the department said in the statement.
"In all cases of sexual misconduct, if the alleged perpetrator is an ADF member and if the victim agrees to take action, Defence will consider disciplinary or administrative action." (ANI/Xinhua)
