Report finds relatively high rate of sex abuse in Canada’s military

A report on criminal charges filed against soldiers and civilians associated with the military conducted by the Canadian Forces Provost Marshall reveals a high rate of sexual assaults against children and child pornography. Following Russell Williams’s arrest, Provost Marshall Colonel Timothy Grubb’s office looked into alleged offences in the defence community between 2003 and 2009, under orders from Defence Minister Peter MacKay. The report found that the “DND community,” which includes more than 110,000 soldiers and civilians, found that “sexual offences, particularly those involving children, seem to enjoy a relatively higher rate of reporting than is sometimes found in the rest of Canadian society.” Twenty-one per cent of these offences occurred at training centers. While the findings are significant and concerning, Col. Grubb suggests that it is easier for military police to detect pornography on DND computers, and that there is tougher regime in the military for sexual offences. Victims of sexual abuse in the defence community are also more willing to report complaints to military officials than in the rest of Canadian society.

The Globe and Mail