THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW Group – a judge-led examination of issues related to sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment and discrimination in the Irish Defence Forces, published its report today. The report is a thorough vindication of the Women of Honour and of all survivors of decades of abuse within the Irish armed forces.
At almost 100 pages, it’s a profound indictment of the toxic workplace culture of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Consistent with the Women of Honour’s disclosures of bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape, the report describes the culture of Ireland’s Defence Forces as one that is deeply misogynistic and an unsafe workplace for both women and men.
According to the report, “at best, the Defence Forces barely tolerates women and, at its worst, verbally, physically, sexually and psychologically abuses women in its ranks”.
Crucially, the report states that 88% of female respondents reported that they have experienced one or more forms of sexual harassment compared with 17% of male respondents.
This is a damning finding and demonstrates that gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence are endemic within Ireland’s Defence Forces. This is not a legacy issue or a historical issue – it is a live and ongoing situation where systematic and systemic violence against women is perpetrated across all three services of the Defence Forces.
The report – consistent with the original demands of the Women of Honour – recommends a full statutory inquiry to address the issues it raises. The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, has given a commitment that this inquiry will investigate the serious systemic failures in dealing with individual complaints in the Defence Forces, including disclosures of sexual assault and rape.
The report is very clear in this regard and recommends that all disclosures of sexual assault should be dealt with exclusively by An Garda Síochána. In addition, it states that all complaints of bullying, sexual harassment and other “unacceptable behaviours” should be investigated by an “external, independent and suitably qualified organisation” until such time as there is a completely overhauled HR system in place in the Defence Forces. Both of these measures will require legislative amendments to the Defence Act of 1954.
Stark criticism
The report is particularly stark in its criticism of the workplace culture of the Defence Forces. In the executive summary, it states: “Notwithstanding the role of the Defence Forces, neither men nor women in the Defence Forces are working in a safe working environment.” It is a particularly dangerous place for women and for “lower status” males – or men who are not members of the “elite”, “officer class”.
Under the chapters outlining the findings of the report, the IRG identifies the manner in which misogyny and patriarchal violence are mobilised within the Defence Forces of 2023. The report lists the routine “abuse of power” by staff in positions of responsibility in the organisation – and particularly among senior officers who perpetuate an artificial “class system” within the Defence Forces.
The report makes the following explosive observation. On page 40, it states: ‘The ways in which gender roles are written about within the Defence Forces reveal attitudes and norms that would be associated with earlier time periods (from which Ireland has moved on). Physical and sexual norms reflect attitudes which predate modern norms … viewing women as sexual objects … notions about gender from the last century or even the one before that.”
On page 42, the report states further that “To be ‘female’ (in the Irish Defence Forces) is to be considered an object rather than a full human being.”
This is an extraordinary statement of fact and demonstrates clearly – consistent with the views of the Women of Honour – that the Defence Forces is not a safe place for women.
As an organisation, as it is currently led, Óglaigh na hÉireann is not a safe place for 51% of the population. As such, it cannot purport to protect, defend or serve the contemporary Irish republic.
The report observes that Defence Forces culture is so misogynistic and so out of touch with contemporary societal values – and best practice in the international military – that it “needs to make that modernising change, from 1950s beliefs and behaviours, to those of today, a 70 year leap”.
‘Hypermasculine’
The report further criticises the patriarchal and toxically ‘hypermasculine’ culture of the Defence Forces, stating that it does not create a safe environment for men who are considered to be from the “lower ranks”.
The artificial “class-based” officer entry system in the Defence Forces – a relic of the British Army of the 1920s – is described as “akin to the distinction between upper and lower classes in times gone by”. It concludes: “In modern Ireland, this is not only unacceptable and baseless as a way of managing or leading an organisation, but it is ineffective in fostering an organisation where status and respect are earned, not gained as an automatic entitlement of rank.”
A recurring and problematic feature of Defence Forces culture that is replicated throughout every section of the report is the phenomenon of ‘Reprisal’ and ‘Retaliation’. Under the heading, ‘Abuse of Power’, the report identifies a “corrosive” dynamic within the organisation – from the General Staff, right down through the chain of command – of “retribution” and “retaliation” aimed at individuals who “speak up” or “speak out” about organisational injustice.
According to the report, senior officers mobilise and manage this tactic to “delay, dissuade, or suppress complaints including cover-ups, falsification of evidence, intimidation of complainants and witnesses, acting unfairly, not allowing due process and exercising, facilitating or encouraging unjust retribution”.
This is a damning indictment of the military authorities – including the current general staff – and the report lists a litany of tactics including false allegations, character assassination in order to silence, isolate and target anyone who speaks up about injustice, sexual harassment or sexual violence within the Defence Forces.
The Women of Honour have each experienced such reprisal – consisting of gaslighting, cancellation, isolation, mobbing and smear tactics – to isolate them and undermine their credibility. This is done to intimidate and is a deliberate tactic on the part of the military authorities – a tactic that further compounds the trauma and damage inflicted through sexual violence and sexual assault. It describes a contemptible workplace culture – with contemptible people in positions of authority.
The report describes the manner in which senior personnel in the Defence Forces use a full spectrum of methods to carry out reprisal against anyone who “speaks up” or “fails the loyalty test” to a deeply dysfunctional organisation, including “targeted reprisal”, “retaliation” and the use of social media to further attack and troll persons of conscience.
On page 70 of the report, the judge-led team describe the “triggers” for retaliation within the Defence Forces as follows: “The member of the Defence Forces made a complaint through the redress of wrongs policy. The person did not ‘fit’ the perpetrator’s image of a ‘Defence Forces Soldier’. The member ‘spoke up and called it straight’. The member stood up to inappropriate behaviours. The member had a baby. The member spoke up for someone else. There was no apparent reason that the perpetrator picked on the individual’.”
Deeply flawed
In short, the Defence Forces are portrayed in the report as a comprising a deeply flawed – and completely unfit for purpose – workplace culture. On page 45, it concludes: “The IRG-DF concludes that the Defence Forces is unable (or unwilling) to make the changes that are needed to provide a safe working environment (notwithstanding the nature of the work of a defence force) that affords dignity and respect to members in compliance with the law and with good leadership and management practice.”
This is a watershed moment for the Defence Forces. Personally, I salute the Women of Honour for their courage in bringing forward their disclosures on Katie Hannon’s RTE documentary of September 2021. The IRG-DF Report is a vindication of all that they – and all other survivors of Defence Forces abuse – have repeatedly stated over the decades.
In 2000, I reported all of the patterns of abuse and institutional sexual violence contained within the IRG Report within my own PhD. When my Doctoral Thesis was published, I experienced exactly the type of reprisal, retribution and mobbing that is set out in the IRG Report. In my case, my young family was also targeted for such reprisal and we were subjected to a systematic smear campaign of character assassination, verbal and online abuse – including abusive and silent phone calls throughout long dark nights. I was also physically assaulted in front of my young family. I have never received an apology for this retaliation.
Nor have I ever received an explanation from the General Staff as to why their culture has deteriorated over the last 23 years. All that is described in the IRG Report was set out in my PhD. The military authorities were given a clear and unambiguous warning over two decades ago about sexual violence.
Instead of dealing with the substantive issues, they invested all of their energies in reprisal. All that is described in this report has happened on their watch. Now is the time to engage with and cooperate with the cultural transformation that is required of the Defence Forces to make it fit for purpose in the 21st Century.
The Minister for Defence and Secretary General of the Department of Defence have clearly signalled their intention to do so. I wish the current Chief of Staff the best of luck in leading the change.
Dr Tom Clonan is a retired Army Officer and former Lecturer at TU Dublin. He is currently an Independent Senator on the Trinity College Dublin Panel, Seanad Eireann.
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