Motion to call for statutory inquiry into Women of Honour allegations

Sinn Féin is to table a motion in the Dáil calling for a commission of investigation to be set up to examine allegations of sexual abuse and harassment in the Defence Forces.

Women of Honour, a group of former Defence Forces members who have brought forward allegations of abuse, harassment and discrimination in the military, have been pushing for a full statutory inquiry.

Minister for Defence Simon Coveney has established a judge-led independent review to examine the issues raised by the women, which the group has criticised over its lack of powers to compel witnesses.

Sorca Clarke, Sinn Féin's spokeswoman on defence, is to bring forward a Dáil motion in the coming week calling for a full commission of investigation into the allegations.

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Ms Clarke said allegations detailed by the Women of Honour group were of the “utmost seriousness”, and it was “imperative” that a statutory inquiry examined the culture in the Defence Forces.

‘Ineffective’ review

In a statement on Sunday, the group described the review proposed by Mr Coveney as one that will be “ineffective and powerless to get to the real heart of the issues”.

The group was commenting following reports of Military Police investigating an Army officer for allegedly trying to grope a female soldier at Defence Forces headquarters, after a gathering during Covid-19 restrictions.

The alleged incident occurred in the summer of 2020 after an outdoor lunch attended by military personnel at McKee Barracks, Dublin.

It is understood the officer became drunk during the afternoon and evening and fell asleep on the base. Two female soldiers were then tasked with bringing him to bed.

They woke him up at which point he allegedly attempted to grope one of the women’s breasts while making an inappropriate remark.

The Women of Honour group criticised the fact such investigations into alleged sexual assaults “still remain to be dealt with within the military system”.

“It is time for an independent public statutory inquiry and for the civil and criminal laws of the state to be applied to the Defence Forces,” the group said.

“The national laws that apply to the rest of the citizens of our State should apply to the men and women of our Defence Forces,” the statement said.