News articles

Bullying ‘seen as acceptable in Army’ as survey reveals every woman questioned was victim of unwanted attention

Bullying is perceived as “acceptable” among some in the Army, according to an internal report that found every single woman questioned said they had been the victim of unwanted sexual attention.

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Army discipline rules are ‘bullies charter’

The rules on handling discipline and complaints in the British Army have created a 'kangaroo court' system and act as a 'bullies charter' for senior officers, an Army officer has reportedly claimed.

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Concern over Government schemes promoting ‘military ethos’ in education

The organisation ForcesWatch (1), which monitors the way young people are recruited into the military, have expressed concern about the announcement made by Education Secretary Michael Gove of four projects which promote 'military ethos' in order to improve achievement among pupils disengaged with education

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Judge fears ‘Deepcut’ culture remains after ‘cover up’ of army recruit sexual abuse

Military staff have failed to learn the lessons of the Deepcut Review and continue to turn a blind eye to the bullying and abuse of young recruits, a judge has claimed.

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Cadet plan needs consultation

This week the Ministry of Defence released news that the City of London Academy Islington (formerly Islington Green School) is to host a cadet unit. ForcesWatch urge parents, governors, teachers and students of the school not to accept this development until after a public consultation on the matter.

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Recruiting officers told not to warn would-be soldiers about true horrors of Army life

Recruiters who refused to hide the truth were sent back to their barracks to face disciplinary action.

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Figures reveal high number of visits by armed forces to Norfolk schools

Figures obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that the armed forces are visiting nearly all secondary maintained schools and academies in Norfolk and some schools have activities run by the military many times a year.

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Figures reveal high number of visits by armed forces to Edinburgh schools

Event: Questioning the presence of the military in schools, Thurdsay 11 October, St Augustine's United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL, 7.30-9pm Figures obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that the armed forces are visiting nearly all schools in the Edinburgh area and some schools have activities run by the military many times a year. (1) Of the 23 state secondary schools in Edinburgh, 22 were visited by the armed forces an average of 7 times during a two year period. A further 11 independent schools and FE Colleges also had visits. Since September there have been a total of 225 visits to 33 schools and colleges (2). Balerno High School had the highest number of visits, with the armed forces recording having been at the school 22 times since September 2010. Some of the visits are for individual interviews, but the majority are for careers briefings, award evenings, curriculum support, presentations and team building events. The figures have been obtained by ForcesWatch who are concerned about the level of military involvement in UK schools and colleges across the UK (3).

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Press release: Questioning the involvement of the military in education: a series of public debates

On 18 September ForcesWatch (1) begins its national series of public events that will debate whether the armed forces should be involved in education activities in UK schools and colleges.  Events will take place in Oxford (18 September), Bath (20 September), Edinburgh (11 October), Norwich (23 October) and London (25 October).

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One sex attack reported by Armed Forces every week… but real figure could be much higher

One rape or sexual assault is reported by members of the Armed Forces every week. The MP who released the figures believes they could be a huge underestimate, with the true figures closer to an attack a day.

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