knepperhorn: Australia Military Sex Abuse Claims: Government Expresses Regret ...

The Australian government, through Defence Minister Stephen Smith, has apologised to the country?s military personnel, who have been sexually mistreated or otherwise maltreated, during their military service.

The Defence Minister expressed an apology in Parliament on behalf of the government, subsequent to hundreds of claims of sexual abuse and rape from the members of the Australian military, historical and present.

An inquest into the Australian military sex abuse allegations has been initiated by the government. A compensation fund has also been established by the government to assist the victims of military sex abuse. The Australian military sex abuse allegations stretch across 60 years and are being viewed as a stain on the Australian military reputation.

The Defence Minister has asserted that young male and female Australian soldiers have undergone sexual, physical and mental mistreatment from their military colleagues. This behaviour was unjustifiable and wasn?t in sync with the principles of a broadminded and diverse Australian society.

In the last two years, the Australian government, headed by Labour PM Julia Gillard, has commenced and continued a process to reform the Australian military culture. Attempts have been initiated by the Australian government to make the military more accepting of female soldiers.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has accepted claims that military officers misused their positions of trust through sexually abusive behaviour. Some military officers refused to take action against their colleagues, who were perpetrating abusive behaviour.

Stephen Smith proclaimed that retired judge, Len Roberts-Smith, has been appointed as the head of the inquiry into the Australia military sex abuse allegations. More than 1000 complaints of military sexual abuse had been received by the government, with the earliest ones dating back to the 1950s.

The Defence Minister cautioned that some sexual abuse perpetrators could still be in the Australian military.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) Chief Lieutenant, General David Hurley, has vowed to cooperate with the inquiry into the Australian military sex abuse allegations. Hurley has uttered that the perpetrators of abuse in the military have failed to comprehend that military rank is a privilege and not a license for violent or arrogant behaviour.

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About the author

Meera Takkar The most recent acquisition to GND, Meera cut her teeth working within Baroda?s eventful news arena. She has put her name to many headline news items, spanning from war reports in the Middle East to the Royal Wedding in 2011.