UK military faces sexual abuse scandal: Report

UK military personnel have made over 200 allegations of sexual offenses against colleagues between 2011 and 2013, a report says.

According to a Sunday Times report, 75 rape allegations and 150 cases of sexual assault were reported to UK military police during the period.

Madeleine Moon, a member of the UK House of Commons Defense Committee, expressed concern over the report, saying she feared the figures were only the “tip of the iceberg.”

“What other sector of society would see this number of rapes between colleagues?” asked Moon.

In addition, Moon said many cases of sexual abuse in the UK armed forces were going unreported and that not enough is being done to ensure the safety of those within the forces.

Moon had earlier claimed that sexual harassment was a “daily issue” in the UK army. She says many female victims of sexual assault in the armed forces have contacted her, saying they have been encouraged to drop the sexual abuse complaint.

Last month, a separate report revealed that bullying in British armed forces is on the rise. Official figures showed one in 10 army personnel claimed to have been the victim of “discrimination, harassment or bullying in a service environment” over the past year, up two percent from the previous year.