Three quarters of women in Germany's Bundeswehr report sexual harassment, study finds

Seventy-five percent of women soldiers and 35% of men in Germany's Bundeswehr have experienced some form of sexual harassment at least once during their military career, according to a study on unreported conduct commissioned by the Defence Ministry.

The study, carried out by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr, surveyed 45,000 soldiers, of whom 18% responded. It is the most comprehensive of its kind conducted in Germany to date.

In the twelve months preceding the survey alone, 38% of women soldiers reported verbal harassment such as lewd comments, 9% reported physical assault, 7% reported involuntary photography or AI-manipulated images, and 2% reported sexual violence. Some 40% of women soldiers criticised a lack of transparency in how complaints are handled.

Figures in the unreported study are between three and five times higher than formally filed cases, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told media after presenting the results to the Bundestag's Defence Committee on Wednesday. Pistorius said women in the lowest ranks were affected most frequently and that naval vessels were a recurring site of incidents, attributing this to confined spaces over long periods.

Between 36% and 61% of respondents said they had not reported incidents for fear of negative consequences; between 44% and 59% doubted the effectiveness of a formal complaint.

Pistorius announced a 34-measure action plan and stated that future assessments of commanding officers would explicitly factor in how they handle misconduct cases. He declared that "whoever is not a role model, whoever even tolerates misconduct" would no longer hold a command post. A new advisory centre, HELP, began operating in early November and will eventually offer 24-hour contact for those affected, operating outside the military chain of command.

The Greens had pushed for independent, external reporting centres even before the study was published. Green MP and Defence Committee member Sara Nanni told public broadcaster ARD that "very few women can get through a week without someone making a comment" that constitutes a form of verbal sexual violence.

The Bundeswehr currently numbers 186,200 soldiers, of whom approximately 25,500 — 13.7% — are women. Germany aims to expand to 260,000 soldiers by 2035.