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| Australia's defence forces have been hit by several scandals, prompting wide-ranging reviews |
Australia's
military has been hit by more sex scandals, after a local news channel obtained
documents under freedom of information laws.
The
documents detail "serious breaches of discipline", including
allegations of sexual assault, child pornography, rape and drug-dealing.
Channel
Seven said over 100 incidents had been reported in the last year.
The
Australian Defence Force said in a statement it had "responded promptly to
these incidents".
"Defence
has no tolerance for misconduct or security breaches," the statement said,
adding that "it had referred "criminal matters to relevant civil
authorities".
'Hot Issues
Briefs'
This is the
latest in a string of allegations of abusive and sexist behaviour in the ranks
of the Australian Defence Force.
A review by
Australia's human rights commissioner in November said women in Australia's top
military academy faced "widespread low-level sexual harassment" -
although the review said conditions had improved over the last decade.
The review
was ordered in the wake of a sex scandal at the Canberra-based Australian
Defence Force Academy where two cadets were accused of secretly filming a
female cadet having sex and broadcasting it on the internet.
The latest
set of documents, known as Hot Issues Briefs, was retrieved after a freedom of
information request by the Channel Seven News network.
The most
common complaint was sexual assault, with more than a dozen cases reported over
an eight-month period, Australian media reports say. Many of the allegations
involved the Navy, where misconduct on four warships is apparently being
investigated.
One case
involves a senior officer on the HMAS Success who reportedly video-taped sexual
encounters with junior officers.
Seven
months earlier on the same ship, a female sailor said she had been assaulted
during a port visit to Singapore.
A report
last year found that sailors aboard the HMAS Success engaged in
"predatory" behaviour and drunken misconduct.
Seven News
also said the document contained "a handful of child porn charges, drug
dealing and rape allegations," AFP reported.
One review
is already being conducted into the treatment of women throughout the
Australian military which will be completed in 2012.
A separate
review, ordered by the Department of Defence, has received more than 1,000
allegations of abuse, ABC News reported late last year.
Reviews
have also been ordered into the use of alcohol and social media in the
military.
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