Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is with a heavy heart that I raise the issue of ongoing sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual violence in our armed forces. It has been brought to my attention in recent days that female personnel, who have been targeted in this way in our armed forces, on settlement of their claims have been obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements. This is a particularly toxic phenomenon given the long-standing nature of this very serious issue in our Defence Forces. We have been aware of these issues now for 22 years. We have had the independent Government inquiry, the study review group which investigated my research, which confirmed these findings and identified our armed forces as a workplace setting where discrimination, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape are commonplace. This has been borne out over the years and again last year with the disclosures made by the Women of Honour.

We have had public statements by very senior officeholders in recent months to the effect that these are historical issues that go back to the past, that the organisation has transformed and that these are no longer workplace phenomena. Yet at the same time, I learn that female personnel who have been targeted in this way, who have survived it and who brought cases to the courts have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements. The very same officeholders who claim that these are historical issues are also aware of the signing of these non-disclosure agreements. I think it is reprehensible. We know from the RTÉ Radio "Doc on One" this week which dealt with sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape at second level, that one of the key tools for dealing with this is openness, transparency and giving people the vocabulary to discuss and describe what has happened to them, to empower them to speak up and end this phenomenon.

I am asking all Senators for a thorough debate on this pressing issue. We also need the publication of the interim report of the judge-led inquiry into these issues in the Defence Forces, which was conducted over the last number of years. It was due to be reported but appears to be delayed. Some 51% of our population is female. If our armed forces are not a safe place for female personnel, they are not safe for 51% of our population and therefore cannot purport to defend the State against internal or external threats. This is a really pressing issue. We need to move on it and we need in time to honour the demand of the Women of Honour for a full statutory inquiry and for people to be held to account, including the highest officeholders in uniform and the Department of Defence who have known about these issues and have failed to act over the last 22 years.