"I'm pessimistic about new MoD taskforce to protect women as serious complaints were swept under the carpet"

Lawyer Ahmed Al‑Nahhas​​​​ said he will be convinced by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) once tangible results are noticeable. The government body’s new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) taskforce aims to clamp down on criminal sexual behaviour and other similar incidents.

Personnel working in the network will be trained on topics such as domestic violence and sexual offending in a bid to change the culture in the armed forces. Such topics were explored in a defence select committee meeting today (March 18), though news of the taskforce came as a surprise to some. Committee chair Tanmenjeet Singh Dheshi said news of the unit was welcome but they were not briefed before it was announced today.

Mr Al-Nahhas, head of military claims and partner at the law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, supports veterans and military families through legal challenges. Reacting to the taskforce, he said: “The problem for the Ministry of Defence is that we have heard all of this before. It introduced a Central Admissibility Team (CAT) following the Atherton report, because the Chain of Command couldn’t be trusted to deal with complaints fairly. Serious complaints were being swept under the carpet, and many complainants were victim-blamed, and their careers ruined.

“However, the CAT has not changed attitudes and complainants still do not trust the Service Complaints System (the military’s equivalent of a grievance process), which according to every Ombudsman since its inception has not been an ‘efficient, effective, or fair’ system – this Task Force glosses over that broken system and makes no proposals whatsoever to change it. If anything, we are seeing higher levels of complaints failing, and the MoD changed the rules to make appeals harder than ever before.”

The taskforce, led centrally by minister for veterans and people Al Carns, will work to change the culture of the armed forces, with healthcare providers, social workers, and HR advisors all on board to support affected personnel. The minister will also be supported by “regional champions” and a Defence Voices Panel - a group of service personnel and civil servants to provide appropriate feedback. This will be part of a Tri-Service complaints unit

Mr Carns, former Royal Marines officer and Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, said: “I am personally committed to ensuring that we do everything within our power to root out unacceptable behaviour and ensure that the Armed Forces is a place where everyone can thrive. Women in the armed forces play a vital role in our keeping our nation safe. This is not just a matter of basic justice and equality, it is essential to military effectiveness.

“Our people have spoken, and we have listened. We are moving at pace to create a new Tri-Service Complaints team to take the most serious complaints out of the chain of single Service command for the first time and to launch a central taskforce to give this issue the attention and focus it deserves.”

Mariette Hughes, Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces, previously said the number of grievances raised in the Royal Navy, Army and RAF for bullying harassment and discrimination have risen for three years in a row. The taskforce announcement comes shortly after the inquest into the death of Jaysley Beck, a 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner who died at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire on December 15, 2021.

The Salisbury Coroners Court inquest heard “failures” in the Army’s complaints system partially caused her death, exacerbated by a sexual assault incident which took place in Thorney Island near Emsworth. Mr Al‑Nahhas said despite the MoD having a “zero tolerance policy” for inappropriate behaviours, attitudes are not changing and stories similar to Gnr Beck are too common.

“I do applaud the MoD for focusing on domestic violence, which has been another blind spot for it for many years,” he added. “As an employer that espouses moral and family values, it has a duty of care not only to service personnel but also to their families, and this includes service spouses. They deserve a dedicated support network but, having said this, the MoD’s bullying helpline has proven totally ineffective, so we are yet to see whether this will work.

“My concern is that these proposals are another rebranding exercise for an organisation that has proven itself unable and/or unwilling to address systemic cultural issues for women in the armed forces. I hope I am proven wrong. So many Service personnel, men and women, are sick and embarrassed of the lack of progress, and this is impacting on their workplace satisfaction, and the recruitment and retention rates for our armed forces."