Forward Assist & Salute Her UK were delighted to be invited to be part of an International Five Eyes virtual colloquium on military sexual and other forms of abuse The video recording of this webcast can be accessed at https://youtu.be/wPuzBhnD77E
A report by North East veterans charity Forward Assist has revealed a grim catalogue of sexual abuse including rape against male servicemen in the military.
Researchers interviewed 30 male survivors aged 41 to 58 from across the UK of what they described as Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
It involved incidents like new recruits being tied down and a black bag containing a nauseous concoction of various bodily fluids mixed with alcohol produced.
"Young soldiers would be held down and forced to drink it," the researchers were told.
"The initiation gang was made up of Commissioned Officers, NCOs and other soldiers. I wouldn't take part and that was my downfall and I was raped."
Mike Kelly’s Coverage can be read here.
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/shocking-sex-abuse-men-armed-23169898
As a result of the unprecedented requests for support from both men and women veterans over the last 15 months we have now initiated a dedicated support service for male victims/survivors of Military Sexual Trauma (Abuse). Team Salute Her will continue to offer specialist trauma informed interventions for serving women and veterans, as they continue to campaign for systemic change, awareness and understanding of the long term impact sexual abuse in the military has on survivors both during and after service. Forward Assist will work exclusively with male victims/survivors and will in the coming months employ a dedicated team of support staff to address these issues. Similarly , we have created training materials for Healthcare professionals and those working in the service charity sector.
