5% of women at military colleges report being sexually assaulted

Ashley Burke · CBC News

· Posted: May 29, 2024 4:00AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

WARNING: This article contains violent content and may affect anyone who has experienced sexual violence or knows someone who has been a victim of sexual violence.

According to survey results obtained by CBC News, 5 per cent of women attending Canada’s military colleges surveyed in 2023 said they had experienced sexual assault in the past 12 months, which included being threatened, restrained, injured or forced into unwanted sexual acts.

The same survey also found that 9 percent of female military college students said they had been sexually assaulted in the past year while drugged, intoxicated or manipulated in some way.

The findings of the two types of sexual assaults were included in a report provided to CBC News over the weekend by the Canadian Defence Academy, which represents military colleges. More than five months after CBC initially requested the findings. The academy said last week it had decided not to release its findings until cadets had been briefed and given a copy of the report.

The majority of students surveyed, especially girls, said they had experienced some kind of unwanted sexual behavior in the past year, such as sexual jokes, inappropriate comments about their bodies or unwanted touching.

The study also found that 1 percent of male students surveyed reported being sexually assaulted.

The Canadian Defence Academy said it has “completely unacceptable” reports of sexual assault or unwanted sexual conduct during investigations.

The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario, and the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec provide naval cadets and midshipmen, ages 17 to 24, with the undergraduate education and training to become officers.

The survey, conducted by both military academies in spring 2023, marked the first time the Department of Defense has asked all students at both military academies about their personal experiences with sexual misconduct.

The investigation was launched in response to a 2022 recommendation by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour, who was tasked with investigating the Canadian Forces’ sexual misconduct crisis. A series of senior leaders faced charges.

‘Hostile environment’

In his final report, Arbour called the interviews with female cadets “alarming,” said the cadets were primarily “young, white, male” and that the military academy “belongs to a different era, with an outdated and problematic leadership model.”

“The continued hostile environment and mistreatment of many female cadets warrants a thorough investigation into the future of military training through these colleges,” Arbour concluded. She called for more data on sexual misconduct and discrimination.

In response, all 1,247 naval cadets and midshipmen taking the regular officer training course at the military academy in spring 2023 were asked to participate in a survey about student life, health and well-being. Just under half the student population (36%) chose to respond, with more than 310 men and 120 women.

Students were asked about sexual misconduct in all settings at the university, including on campus, traveling to and from campus, and at university-sponsored off-campus events.

Overall, 82% of female students and 64% of male students reported being the target of sexual jokes in the past year, and more than half of the female students surveyed said they had experienced unwanted physical contact or inappropriate sexual comments about their appearance or body.

The study also found that female cadets were “much more likely than men to experience any type of unwanted sexual conduct,” including inappropriate discussions about their sex lives, unwanted sexual attention and the sending or showing of sexually explicit messages, photos or videos.

The exception was indecent assault, where 5% of boys surveyed reported being a victim of indecent assault, compared with 4% of girls.

According to the DND report, the rate of unwanted sexual behaviour is: In 2019, Statistics CanadaThe Defense Ministry conducted its own survey of military college students, but a Defense Ministry report said the two surveys could not be directly compared because the questions asked were different.

The DND investigation also found that many female students did not believe university authorities would take their allegations seriously.

More than 40% of female students disagreed with the assertion that military colleges handle sexual assault complaints fairly, and 45% rejected the assertion that military colleges do a good job of providing services to victims of sexual assault and harassment.

Over 90% of students surveyed at a university in Kingston said the statement “At a military college, it’s more important not to get caught than it is to follow the rules” was somewhere between somewhat true and completely true.

The survey also found that 20% of women attending university said they had experienced discrimination because of their sex or gender, compared with just 3% of men.

Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a researcher at the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, said the findings confirm that sexual assault and unwanted sexual conduct remain a “significant problem” at military colleges.

“It’s shocking to hear,” said Duval-Lantoine, who wrote a book about gender integration in the military, “but it’s part of what we’ve been hearing about happening in military schools for the last few years.”

Military leaders have responded in the past that the problem of sexual misconduct at military colleges is “somewhat comparable to problems at civilian colleges,” according to Arbour’s report, adding that the “unique environment” of military colleges “makes the problem even greater and almost insurmountable.”

“First of all, the damage is being done at a public institution that is funded by Canadian taxpayers,” Duval-Lantoine said. “So there needs to be some accountability here, too.”

“I don’t think the military is doing enough to protect its young members.”

The minister’s office says “there is still a lot to do.”

The report said its findings were presented to senior defence officials, including the commander in chief, General Wayne Eyre, and Defence Minister Bill Blair.

Blair’s office said it was “clear that significant changes to the culture at the Royal Military Academy are needed” to ensure cadets are treated “fairly and with dignity”.

“The findings clearly show that there is still much work to be done to root out sexual misconduct at the Canadian Military Academy and build a more respectful and inclusive culture,” Blair’s spokeswoman Diana Ebadi said in a statement to CBC News.

Ebadi said the government was moving forward with Al-Babar’s recommendation to set up a commission of inquiry to look into the university’s future, work that is currently underway and will include investigating sexual misconduct, misogyny and discrimination.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Defence College told CBC News that the wellbeing of naval cadets and midshipmen “remains our top priority.” Both military academies are “committed to resolving the issues” and support the recommendations of the Arbour report, said Maj. Christoph Stachura, a spokesman for the Canadian Defence College.